Lost
by SoftballStar13
Summary: Gibbs' youngest daughter, Jasmine was only six months old at the time of her mother's and sister's deaths, and wasn't in the car at the time of the crash. Years later, Jasmine must make the decision as to what she wants to do in her future: follow her father's path, or create her own?
1. Family

**A/N: New story time! I'm finally getting some extra time for writing so I'll be finishing up some stories and starting new ones in different fandoms. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me except for Jasmine. **

Chapter One: Family

The beeping of the machines that monitored his bodily rhythms was steady, assuring me that he was still alive. The room was quiet, except for the monitors and the sound of my own breathing. Earlier it had been alive with activity, lots of visitors coming and going and wishing him good health. I had been sure that I'd be fine alone, and eventually insisted that they all leave. Now I was sure it was a mistake. Being alone with my thoughts was depressing for me.

I thought about calling someone, but didn't want to disturb them. They needed their sleep in order to function at work tomorrow, and in any case, it wasn't really their company I was craving at the moment.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I called Callen. Callen was like an older brother to me, practically raised by my dad in many ways. They saved each other's lives in war, and ever since then, they'd kept in close touch.

"Jaz," he breathed, "how is he?"

I shook my head, though I knew he couldn't see it. "Not good, Cal. They say they're not sure if he's going to wake up this time. And I'm trying to be strong for everyone, but it's so, so hard." I sobbed, not able to hold it together anymore. The hard wooden hospital chair was making my back ache and my sore knee hurt from being bent in the same position for so long.

"I know, Jaz. I'll be there soon. I'm in the taxi now, and Hetty gave me as much time as I need off, so I'll be there with you all the way, okay, baby?" Callen asked.

I wiped the tears away with the back of my hand. "Yeah, yeah, that's fine. Thank you so much for coming, Callen. I just can't worry the rest of the team with such a heavy case resting on their shoulders…"

Callen sighed, "I know. But they will find him, I'm sure of it. And I will help in any way possible, and I know my team will be there for us if we need them."

I leaned as far back as possible in the uncomfortable chair. "I love you, G. I'm sorry I made you come out to D.C. I just need you."

"I love you too, baby. Don't be sorry, though. There's no reason for it. I would have come out anyway, even if you hadn't asked, because your dad is as much yours as he is mine." I could just imagine him winking at that, and it made me smile a little.

"Do you know how far out you are?" I asked impatiently. I couldn't wait for him to arrive.

"About fifteen minutes," he assured me. "I'll be there soon, I promise. I've got to go, but if you need me, call, okay?"

"Sure," I said shakily. "I can last fifteen minutes without you." I laughed, but it got stuck in my throat and sounded more like a choked sob.

After I hung up with Callen, I looked at my father. I started with his hair, memorizing every inch of his face and his features.

His silver hair was short on the sides and longer on top. Still as close to regulation as could be. I actually smiled ruefully at the sight of his silver hair. His hair had begun growing silver after we had lost Mama and Kelly in the accident and he was faced with raising a six month old on his own. The lines in his face had been there since their deaths. His blue eyes, which I couldn't see at the moment, could be the most expressive feature of his or it could be the least, depending on whether you were his friend or his enemy. His blue eyes were one of the most prominent features that we shared.

My eyes roamed over his broken, motionless form. His injuries included: head trauma, broken left arm, both from the fall, and broken ribs, severe internal bleeding due to the six bullet wounds he had suffered. The doctors said that he was in a coma in order to allow him to heal internally.

I let out a shaky breath and scooted the wooden chair closer to the bed. The nurses had informed me that if I wanted to, I could talk to him and he may be able to hear me.

"Daddy?" The word came out sounding like a question. A tear escaped my eye and I brushed it away. "Daddy, Callen's on his way- he should be here any moment. But I am so scared right now. I don't know if I could handle losing you. Not this way, especially not after what happened to Mama and Kelly." I stood from my chair and reached over him to hold his uninjured right hand. I held it tightly, almost afraid to let it go.

"Please don't leave me. Please don't leave me." I whispered repeatedly as silent tears glided down my face. My thoughts were a jumbled mess, mainly in awe over how my father, my strong, indestructible, forty-eight year old father could possibly die.

At that moment, I heard the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching the room.

I instantly let go of my dad's hand, instead tensing and reaching for something I could use as a weapon. My father's attacker hadn't been found, and I wasn't about to take any chances with my father's life. My hand tightened around my purse. I sighed in disappointment that I couldn't find something that would be more practical to use as a weapon, but it would have to do.

I crouched down below my father's hospital bed, cursing myself for not being more alert to the sound so that I could have planned a better escape route if the need arose. Suddenly, one of my father's lessons came to mind: _"Never allow yourself to become trapped, especially in tight corners. If you get backed into a corner, you'll have to fight your way out, and it's more than likely you will not have the upper hand, especially if the attacker has a firearm. Always be aware of your surroundings, and be near an exit."_

The footsteps were in the doorway when I heard a familiar voice call my name. I leapt up from my crouching position on the floor and made a beeline for the person who stood in the doorway.

"Jasmine, I'm here. I'm here, baby." Callen said soothingly as I embraced him tightly and he stroked my vivid red-orange hair that I had gotten from my mother.

I clung to him, feeling overwhelmingly happy that he was here with me and that I wasn't alone anymore.

"I've missed you so much, Cal. I've been so scared…" I admitted, tears welling in my eyes.

He pulled away when he heard my watery tone and felt the tears on his shirt. "Hey, hey, hey, don't cry. Everything will be okay, I promise you. Dad will get better."

I gave him a watery smile when he referred to my dad as his too. I pulled out of his embrace and he tucked me into his side.

"Sit down." I commanded, pointing at the uncomfortable chair.

Callen shook his head. "You should. How long has it been since you've slept or eaten? You look exhausted."

I looked at him, feeling too tired to argue. "I've only been up since I got the call from Tony at about midnight. I ate some fast food that McGee brought me when the team was here earlier."

He glanced at his watch. "Jaz, that was over twenty-two hours ago. You need to get some rest."

"Callen, I'm fine. Please, sit down."

G watched me for a moment and then sat down. He tapped his thigh. "Come on, Jaz. Sit down."

I simply gave him a dubious look. "I'm too heavy."

My brother rolled his eyes. "You weigh one hundred and twelve pounds, and you're only five foot three. You are not too heavy. Sit, Jaz."

"Fine, Cal." I gave up and sat down on his leg. He grabbed my waist and maneuvered me into a more comfortable position for him.

"Now explain to me again how this happened."

I rubbed my eyes tiredly and took a deep breath. G's hand settled on my back, rubbing it gently.

"Daddy was working on a case involving six dead Naval officers. He believed it was a group of people working together to commit these grisly murders." I shivered. "Anyway, he and the team were working a late night last night in order to come up with some more possible suspects. Tony told me that someone called my father and that he hung up and told them to get their gear. They went to a playground where my father said that someone had told him the killer would be. He didn't give the team any names, and Tony wasn't sure why he seemed so certain this 'someone' was telling the truth.

"Tony said that they were there for about ten minutes, canvassing and observing the area, when suddenly about ten shots were fired one right after another." I began to cry again, unable to rein in my emotions. "Six of the bullets lodged in his chest, and when he fell he broke his left arm, some ribs, and suffered from head trauma from hitting his head on the asphalt. The doctors say this medical coma is to help his internal injuries heal."

Callen sighed, looking at my father. "Sounds similar to what happened to me."

I looked at Callen, really looked at his expression, and then down to his chest, where he had gotten shot not long ago. Callen appeared to be miles away. His gaze was on my father, but he wasn't really seeing him.

I touched his chest carefully. "Does this hurt?"

G snapped out of the trance he was in and looked down at his chest. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "No, not any more. The memory hurts more than the actual wounds did."

Tears began to blur my vision again, but this time, they were for Callen, and his ordeal. I'd been there throughout his recovery from that, and as broken as that close call left me, I'd at least had my dad with me every step of the way. This time, I didn't have him. I had Callen though, and he was as important to me as my dad was.

I rested my head on his shoulder and whispered, "I love you."

He laid his head on mine gently and stroked my hair. "I love you too. I'm going to be here for you and Dad every step of the way."


	2. Emotional

**Disclaimer: Only character I own is Jasmine. The rest belong to the clever creators of NCIS.**

Chapter Two: Emotional

The next morning, I awoke lying in a hospital bed next to my father. It hadn't been here the night before, so I assumed Callen had something to do with it. I sat up slowly and looked over at my father, whose bed was next to the window, and sighed. No change.

I glanced over at the clock on the wall above the door. It was about 0800. Callen was nowhere in the room to be found, so I took my phone out of my pocket and texted him.

_J.G.: "G, where r u?" _

_G.C: "Down at the cafeteria. B up in 5."_

He instantly wrote back, so I guessed that he would be back soon. I noticed that the wooden chair that we had sat in the night before now had a pillow propped up against the back of it. I sighed in annoyance. I wish he'd either share the decently sized bed with me, or taken the bed and allowed me to sit in the chair. I was comfortable with Callen, I considered him the brother I'd never had, so sleeping in a bed with him wouldn't bother me. There was no attraction between the two of us, and I was way too young for him anyway. In fact, those were the only reasons why my dad ever allowed us to sleep in the same room when Callen came to visit us.

I went into the bathroom that was connected to the room, shut the door, and did my business, then stood in front of the mirror. I looked horrendous. My hair, which I'd inherited from my mother, was sticking all over the place, though some of my natural loose curls still remained. Unlike my mother, however, my hair was light red, almost orange. Her hair was a much more beautiful dark red, a color I really wished I had. My face I'd also gotten from her, her pale, rosy complexion set into a heart-shaped face. The only physical feature I had received from my father was his sky blue eyes.

"Jaz, are you okay?" Callen asked, his head appearing in the doorway. He looked rested and alert.

I nodded, "I'm fine, just washing up. I'll be out in a second."

He seemed appeased by my response. "I have some food out here when you're ready."

"No bacon?" I asked, smiling slightly at him.

Callen smiled broadly. "No bacon." He confirmed.

"Thank you, G." I told him, and he disappeared from the door.

I looked back at my disastrous appearance in the mirror. I started the metal faucet on the sink and turned the water to the warm setting. I began shoveling some water in my face to refresh myself and then I grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste from the bag I'd hurriedly thrown together when Tony first called me.

After I'd finished brushing my teeth, I grabbed the clothes I'd brought out of my bag and began changing into a t-shirt, jeans, and clean underwear. I sighed when I realized that this was my only clean change of clothes and that I'd have to go home in order to shower and pack up some new ones.

I emerged from the bathroom and saw that Callen was setting out some food on the mobile bedside table.

When he noticed me, he looked up. "Much better, kiddo."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm seventeen, Cal." I looked at the food he was setting out. "Thanks for getting food. I'm pretty hungry."

He smiled at me. "No problem, Jaz. Dig in."

As we began eating, we talked about unimportant topics for a few minutes before I finally had to know.

"Have you heard anything from Daddy's team?"

Callen looked up in surprise. "No. Nothing yet. I'm sure they'll call when they have a solid lead. But Leon texted me this morning and wanted to let me know that the team is planning to come by later to visit. He said that he'd be by soon as well."

I nodded, "That's fine. In fact, I need to go home in order to shower and pack a few more changes of clothes."

"Yeah, you do smell." Callen joked, taking a seat on the chair. I hopped back up on the empty hospital bed.

"Will you be here all day?" I inquired, taking a forkful of eggs.

"No," he began, swallowing, "I'll be wherever you are. I'm your protection detail."

I dropped my fork into my container. "What?"

Callen stopped eating and looked at me. "Jaz, Gibbs was shot, and his shooter is still out there. There is no knowing whether or not he will come after you next, so you need to be protected."

"I do not!" I exclaimed defensively, "Callen, what about my dad?"

"Ziva will stay here until we get back." He clarified.

I shook my head vehemently. "I do not need protection." All of a sudden, I felt very sad, and I realized something. "Is that why you're here? Is the only reason why you're here to protect me?"

Callen stood up in shock and offense. "Jasmine, I am not here to just be on your protection detail. I am here because I want to be, for you and for Dad. That is my primary reason for being here. I assumed that it would be easier if I would be your guard, because I had guessed that you would be more open to the idea. I guess I was wrong." He was offended and angry, I could tell.

I sighed unhappily. "G, I'm so sorry. I should know better. I'm so, so sorry. I just felt like you are here out of obligation to protect me."

Callen walked over and pulled me to him in a tight hug. My head fit into his neck, and he kissed my hair. "I'm here for you. I'm here to support you, and your dad. I will always be here for you, do you hear me? Whatever you need, I'm here. Always. You are my sister, and you always will be. I love you."

"I love you too. Thank you for being here. I wouldn't be able to deal with this on my own."

Just then, a loud beeping started from one of the monitors.

**A/N: I am mean. I am so, so mean. But, I'll either be updating tomorrow, or, if I have some alone time later tonight I may be able to get the next chapter to you guys. Thank you so much for reading and please leave me some constructive reviews. :) If you have any questions or concerns, please PM me. **


	3. Havoc

**A/N: Hey readers! Thanks to those of you who are following, reviewing, and who've added this story to your Favorites. Your reviews have been so positive and encouraging and I can't thank you enough. So I'll settle for updating this chapter instead. ;)**

**Disclaimer: Only character that I own is Jaz. The rest of the characters belong to the lovely creators of NCIS. **

Chapter Three: Havoc

_Just then, a loud beeping started from one of the monitors._

I tried to go to the bed, but Callen's hands moved to my waist, pulling me tightly against him.

Doctors and nurses alike rushed into the room, and began moving so quickly that I wasn't sure what was going on. It seemed like time suddenly stopped- and I had no idea how to get it moving again.

I heard someone shout to "get her out of here!" but I didn't know who it was. I felt myself being dragged out.

Suddenly I was outside of the room and I heard Callen's voice telling me to stay calm.

"Look at me, look right at me, baby." He was telling me, and I did. I snapped out of it.

"Callen, what's going on? What is happening to him?" I asked, my voice sounding low and frightened.

"I don't know, Jaz. I don't know. Keep looking at me. Stay focused on me."

A doctor emerged from the room after what seemed like hours.

"Miss Gibbs?" He asked, gripping his chart in front of him. This doctor had brown hair, brown eyes, and appeared to be in his mid-thirties.

"That's me." I said as calmly as possible. I crossed my arms in front of me, digging my fingers into my arms. I felt Callen move behind me and put a hand on the small of my back.

The doctor glanced at Callen. "You are?"

"He is my adopted brother. I trust him with my life. What is your name?" I asked, my voice sounding steady. I was proud of myself for staying calm.

He looked dubious, but answered me. "I am Dr. Keller. Your father had some serious injuries from his attack. So far, his physical injuries seem to be healing, but what concerns me most is his head trauma, especially with his past history of head injuries and amnesia. It is quite possible that if he regains consciousness he may have a mild or severe case of amnesia, but there is no way of knowing for sure."

I held my breath. "Is there any way to tell when he will regain consciousness?"

Dr. Keller shook his head. "No, he will wake up when he's ready. But at this point, you need to prepare yourself for the possibility of him never waking up."

I turned away from him. "Has the internal bleeding stopped?" Callen asked.

"Yes, we've successfully managed to stop the bleeding, and the physical injuries will heal in time." He named the drugs my father was on, and then continued, "I'll be in later to check on him. If he does wake up, contact a nurse or myself." Dr. Keller left us to our thoughts.

I turned to Callen. "He _will _wake up."

Callen nodded and put an arm around my shoulders.

We entered the room. I immediately went to my father's side and I could feel Callen close by.

"Jaz, what happened?"

I turned quickly, and saw a very special agent named Anthony DiNozzo standing in the doorway holding a bag of fast food in one hand. Behind him stood Ziva, or Ziver as my dad liked to call her, and McGee.

When I heard his voice I simply couldn't keep it together anymore. Tears welled in my eyes once again as I tried to control myself.

Tony seemed to understand what I couldn't say and he immediately crossed the room and embraced me in a hug. I held him tightly, finding the same sort of brotherly comfort that I also found in Callen and even in McGee.

I vaguely heard G's voice in the background, explaining what was happening in regards to my father.

The senior agent pulled back slightly and caught my eye. "Are you really okay?"

I nodded, wiping my watery eyes. I pulled away and smiled as brightly as I could, but I'm fairly sure it appeared to be a grimace. "Callen, you've met Ziva and Tony right?"

"Yes, once a while ago. It's nice to see you again, Agent David and Agent DiNozzo. Nice to see you again too, Tim."

They exchanged pleasantries for another moment before the room fell silent.

"Tony? Have you found…anything?" I asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

He looked at me sadly. "There was a note…along with a new body." He glanced at Ziva and McGee, who were watching me closely. Callen was at my side once more, looking at the trio.

"What did it say?" I swallowed the lump in my throat. My hands curled into fists, but stayed at my side. Callen put his hand on my shoulder, once again trying to reassure me.

McGee spoke up. "It said 'One down, one to go. I'll make sure it's permanent this time…for both of them'."

I closed my eyes for a moment. "Handwriting analysis? Fingerprints?"

"Abby's running them now." He cleared his throat. "She's a mess. I'm sure she and Ducky will be by as soon as they finish what they're doing."

I once again tried to smile appreciatively, but it failed. "I don't want them to worry too much. I'll call them soon."

The team stayed a little longer, and we conversed about mundane topics. I noticed Ziva was more quiet than usual, and stored that away for later. Tony and McGee were bantering back and forth about the best practical jokes performed in the office, and Callen was laughing along with them. They lightened my mood, and I couldn't be more grateful to have them there.

They prepared to leave and I saw that Tony pulled Callen aside and was talking to him in the corner of the small room. I wasn't feeling inclined enough to find out what they were saying. The day had already taken quite an emotional toll and I was feeling very tired again. Ziva embraced me and told me that she would give me a call after work later on. I told her that I would look forward to it. McGee gave me a kiss on the forehead.

"Jasmine, I'll talk to you later sweetheart, okay? Stay with Callen and be careful." Tony said, pulling me from behind and also planting a gentle kiss on my forehead.

I kissed him on the cheek in return, "I will, but you be safe too, okay Tony? Keep an eye on Ziva and Tim too, please. Ziva has been very quiet. Tim is probably internalizing everything and Abby is probably falling apart, and Ducky…"

"Whoa! Whoa there, slow down there, Jaz. I'll take care of everyone, I promise."

I looked at him for a long moment. "But who will take care of you?" I wondered. "Call me please if you need anything, Tony. Please. I'm here for you."

"Same to you, and I will. Love you, babe." He kissed me one last time.

"Love you, Tony." I told him as he left. I turned to Callen, who was texting on his phone while sitting on the chair.

"Callen, I think I'm going to go down to the cafeteria and get some soda or something. I'm feeling sort of rundown again."

G looked up from his phone. "I'll go with you."

I shook my head gently, feeling slightly dizzy. "No, someone should stay with Daddy."

Callen looked to the doorway. "There's two agents posted outside the door. Tony assigned them to your father."

I felt so grateful to Tony's thoughtfulness. "Come on, Peach Fuzz."

Callen rolled his eyes at the bad joke I'd used when I'd first met him and his buzzed head, but followed me out the door anyway.

We entered the cafeteria and I picked up a bottle of soda in order to give myself a sugar high. G grabbed a bag of chips and a sandwich, along with a grilled chicken salad, which I knew was for me. We paid and exited the cafeteria and made our way back up to the room.

G and I ate and talked about his latest cases that he had closed in LA. Before we knew it, it was about nine and the hospital was shutting out the lights in the halls.

I had just gotten settled into the empty bed, Callen settled in beside me, when I felt the need to ask him something, because I knew above all he would be the one to tell me the truth.

"G?" I asked, quietly.

"Yeah, baby?" His voice was slightly slurred, and I knew he had just been about to fall asleep. I knew that if I apologized and told him to forget it, however, he would just insist on hearing it and would take more time.

"Do you think Daddy will wake up?" As I asked him the question I was watching my unresponsive father, remembering the nurse's words telling me that he might be able to hear what was said around him.

"I know he will. Tomorrow we will go to your house to get some of your belongings." He reminded me, pressing a kiss to the back of my hair.

**A/N: Please remember to review! Thank you for reading. :)**


	4. Return To Me

**A/N: Thank you all for reading this story. To be honest, I never intended to post this story, but then something told me that maybe someone would enjoy it, and that someone is as important as anyone. So based on the reviews, a few people like it, and so thank you to all of you for being so encouraging. So please continue to review, because it's basically a pep talk for me, haha. Once again, thank you! :)**

Chapter Four: Return To Me

The sun shining through my window woke me up the next morning, and when I tried to roll over I was startled when I bumped into something hard.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." Callen joked, getting off the bed, grabbing his duffel bag from the closet and going into the bathroom presumably to wash up.

I was a little disoriented, and grabbed my cell phone out of my pocket to check the time. 0930. I sighed, still feeling tired, and rolled out of bed. I immediately went to my father's side.

"Good morning Daddy." I greeted him, kissing his cheek as I did every morning. "I miss you. I miss talking to you, and eating breakfast with you. I especially miss shopping with you. I pick out the skimpiest clothes and watch your reactions. I miss hearing you talk about Mama and Kelly. I love you Daddy, and I can't imagine life without you. I need you. I want you to walk me down the aisle, and to see your first grandchild one day in the very distant future. Please come back to me." I held his uninjured hand and watched ZNN as it played on the TV.

The TV must have been turned on and muted by Callen before I woke up. I was watching the headlines scroll by, and suddenly I felt my hand being squeezed gently. It wasn't a tight squeeze, but definitely noticeable. My head whipped around toward the bed and I saw my dad's arm flexing, like he was trying to squeeze my hand again. His eyes hadn't opened.

"Daddy? Daddy?" My voice grew louder with excitement, and Callen came out of the bathroom.

"What's going on?" He said, his voice wild with concern.

"He's squeezing my hand again, Callen! Daddy, squeeze my hand twice in a row if you can hear me."

His hand tightened around my fingers once, then twice, a little less tightly.

Tears were spilling out of my eyes again, but this time, I didn't try to hide them. "I love you Daddy. Please come back to me. I was so scared you were going to leave me…"

He squeezed my hand again, even tighter than before, and I noticed his eyelids began to flicker.

Callen appeared at my side. He put his hand on my arm, lending me strength. "Hey Jethro, I'm here too for you. We've missed you, man."

Slowly, my father's eyelids began to fully open. "Ja-." He croaked out. His eyes focused on me.

"I'll get water." Callen volunteered, going out to the nurse's station in the hall.

"Daddy," I grabbed his hand. "Don't talk. I know." And I did. I did know what he was trying to tell me. He wanted me to know he loved me- I could see it in his eyes. "I love you too." His facial features softened and he seemed to relax. His gaze stayed focused on me.

"Here, Jethro," G said, handing the cup to my father. He couldn't manage it, it seemed, so I took the cup from him and held it to his mouth. He gave me a grateful smile, and I nodded, smiling broadly.

After a few minutes, he had finished the cup and was trying to sit up.

"Daddy, please be careful. In fact, I have to get the nurse. I was supposed to get one when you woke up." I turned to leave the room, but he grabbed my wrist. I turned and he shook his head.

"No, not yet. I want a few minutes with the two of you first." He explained, his voice slightly hoarse but otherwise clear.

"Aren't you in pain?" Callen asked.

"No. They must have something in my IV. You look exhausted, Jasmine. Haven't you been sleeping?"

I pointed to the empty bed next to his. "Yeah, right there."

"Damn it, Jasmine. You should have gone home." He was angry, but I stood my ground.

"No, I wouldn't have left you. Callen stayed with me." I offered, trying to throw his focus off me.

Daddy shook his head. "Have you eaten? You look thin."

"Yes, just last night. I'm fine, really. In fact, I really need to go tell the nurse that you're conscious, and then let everyone know. They were all so worried."

Daddy sighed and then nodded.

About twenty minutes later, the nurse completed her tasks with my father and then left us alone once more. Callen left the room to grab some breakfast for the three of us downstairs. The nurse had said that Daddy should start slow, with eating soft, easily digestible foods.

"I've missed you Daddy."

He nodded. "I've missed you too. But you should have gone home."

Suddenly, I realized, "You don't know about the note."

"What note?" He asked, sounding surprised.

I looked to Callen, who had returned. "There was another body found yesterday. Along with it there was a note that said, 'One down, one to go. I'll make sure it's permanent this time…for both of them'." Callen revealed, glancing at my father's expression.

Dad looked appalled, and then annoyed. "I need to get out of here." He began grabbing at his arms, trying to rip out the IVs, and I grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Stop it!" I commanded; my tone serious. "Don't get agitated about this. There are guards outside the room and Callen has been with me every second, and Tony and the team is running handwriting analysis and fingerprints on the note."

He just looked at me. "Everything is being handled." I reassured him.

My father looked appeased for the moment. "I still want to get out of here."

Rolling my eyes, I continued, "Soon you can get out of here. The nurse said as soon as your wounds stop bleeding. Then you can go home, but we still need to change your bandages every other day. You're going to be sore for a while."

Daddy gave me a proud look. "You'd make a very good doctor one day."

I smiled. "Thanks Daddy."

About two hours later, it was a little after 1200 when Dad insisted that Callen and I go home and shower and rest.

When I made it clear that I would be back within an hour, he sighed, but didn't argue.

"What will you do while we're gone?" I asked knowingly.

He just looked at me, and I glanced at Callen. "Why don't you call Tony and the team? I'm sure they'll love to hear from you."

"Maybe I will. Now go." He said, closing his eyes and making a show of resting.

I laughed. "I'm going. Now rest. And I'm going to ask the nurses to check on you every few minutes to make sure that _you stay put._" I informed him, grabbing my purse. Callen laughed.

Dad smiled and nodded, and then once again closed his eyes.

Callen and I informed the guards and nurses that we were leaving and would be back soon. Then Callen called Tony and explained that Daddy woke up. Tony said that a member of the team would be there soon to take his statement on what had happened and to ask him if he had seen the shooter though they hadn't.

Callen suddenly handed me the phone and Tony's voice was still talking over the line.

"Jaz?" He was asking, and I put the phone to my ear.

"Tony, is everything okay?"

"I was going to ask you that." He chuckled.

"I'm better now. I feel like the worst is over." I said, rubbing my forehead.

"I want you to stay close to Callen, and be safe, okay?" Tony told me.

"I will. I promise." I assured him.

"I'm sorry that I didn't call last night." He said quietly.

I shook my head, though I knew he couldn't see it. "Tony, I understand. I went to sleep early anyway. Dad will be released soon, and I know he'll want to see you. You should come by."

"I will, I promise Jaz. In fact, maybe I'll come by later to take his statement. I need to get out of this office." He sounded tired and I felt concerned.

"Did you go home last night, Tony? You sound so tired."

There was silence for a moment before a quiet "no".

"Tony," I admonished.

"We need to get this guy, Jaz."

"I understand that, Tony, but lack of sleep isn't going to make you work any better. You need to take care of yourself."

"You're younger than me, but you sound like my mother used to." Tony whispered.

"Someone has to keep an eye on you, and who better to do it than me?" I joked.

I heard Tim's voice on the other end of the line. "I want to talk to her!"

"Tony, what's happening?" I laughed at their antics.

"McGoo misses you and wants to talk to you. Oh, and Ziva's here too. She's threatening me with bodily harm. I think it's pretty safe to say that everyone here misses you. Uh oh, Abby's coming. Bye!" The line went dead and I couldn't stop giggling.

"Jaz, what's going on?" Callen turned to me, his eyes off of the road momentarily.

"Just the usual office antics. I'm worried about Tony, though. He's been working through the night. In fact, he didn't admit to it, but I'm sure he's been working nonstop since Daddy was shot. I wouldn't be surprised if Ziva and Tim have been too." I looked out the window, and noticed that we were almost home.

"Now that Dad's awake they won't be as stressed. I think I'll place a call to Sam and see if I can get my team out here to assist with this." He volunteered, trying to assuage my concern.

"You don't have to bother them with this, Cal. I'm sure the team will be able to figure this out. Once Daddy comes home, I'd like to go to the Navy Yard and see if I can help with anything."

"You can't help in the field," my brother pointed out.

"I know, but I can help Abby with the numerous forensic searches Tony undoubtedly has her working."

Cal thought about that for a second. "Since you'll be safe there I could help them in the field."

"That's a good idea. It'll help you relieve some of that pent up energy you've been trying to hide from me." I smiled conspiratorially at him.

"Can't hide anything from you can I?" He smiled back.

I thought for a moment about what he'd said. "So wait, who would be in charge of the team? You or Tony, because Tony is the second in command of the D.C. team, but you are the head of the L.A. team…?" We had arrived at the house.

Callen just laughed.

**A/N: Just wanted to remind you all to review and leave me some of your opinions on who you would like to see lead the team. **


	5. Good Behavior

**A/N: If you're reading, please please review; because I always want to know what you guys think about the story and each new chapter. Reviews honestly do keep this story going, and I haven't been getting very many, which is frustrating as a writer. S/O to DS2010 for reviewing every chapter so far- I cannot thank you enough. **

Chapter Five: Good Behavior

"Back already?" Daddy asked as Callen and I walked in.

"Yes. In fact, according to the nurses outside, I came back just in time." I shook my head at him. "Instead of giving the nurses the run-around, you should have called the team. They're eager to hear from you."

"I did. I called Abby and Ducky. They said they'll be by as soon as they can, and I assured them it wasn't necessary." He smiled, and I knew he'd been having a little too much fun while Cal and I were gone.

"Dad…" I admonished, secretly delighting in his devilishness.

"What? I stayed put." He defended himself. "I watched the news."

I rolled my eyes. "Why didn't you call Tony?"

"I figured that I'd let him be. He's probably working the case right now." Dad explained, shifting slightly and grimacing.

"Daddy. Tony hasn't slept since you were shot. He's been trying to find the killer for three days straight. He needs sleep and I know he won't get it unless he hears it from you. Please call him. Ziva and Tim are worried about you too."

Dad finally looked slightly remorseful. "I'll call them now." He grabbed the hospital phone from the bedside table and dialed Tony's desk number on the receiver.

I glanced at Callen and saw that he wasn't even paying attention to the exchange between my father and I. He was turned, facing the window and texting on his phone again. I found it odd, but didn't want to question him just yet.

"DiNozzo? It's your boss. How's the case going?" He asked, taking the gruff tone he usually used.

I didn't hear what Tony said, but my father looked slightly agitated. "What are the results from the fingerprints and analysis that my daughter told me about?"

Callen was still texting, but he seemed to be getting slightly irritated, as his fingers moved faster and he seemed to be punching the keys.

"Well bring him in, DiNozzo!" At that, my attention was brought back to my father and I gave him a harsh look. "Tomorrow," he amended, "bring him in tomorrow DiNozzo. Get some rest tonight. That goes for the other two and Ducky, Palmer, and Abby too."

"Jaz," Callen called me, and I turned.

"I have to go outside for a second to make a call, but I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere, okay?" My brother explained, giving me a quick kiss on the forehead before leaving.

"Okay…" I said, puzzled by his odd behavior.

"They got the match they need from the fingerprints, but the handwriting turned up nothing." He informed me, shaking his head.

"They've been working really hard, Daddy. They've really missed you." I told him, taking a seat in the wooden chair.

Dad gave me a slight smile, but shook his head.

"They have," I insisted. "You know that if anything happened to you, Tony would probably lose himself? You're his mentor, his father, in so many ways, Dad. Same for Ziva, McGee, and Abby, they would be so lost without you."

"They would be fine. They're good agents and Abby's a good forensic scientist. They would make it just fine."

"I wouldn't," I whispered quietly, "I can't imagine a time where you haven't been with me, and honestly, I do not want to."

He must have seen the tears in my eyes, because he took my wrist and kissed it. "You're okay. I'm here. I'm still here, and I'm not going anywhere."

I was very emotional suddenly, and my father seemed to sense that. He shifted over in the bed as much as it would allow and then pulled on my arm. I knew what he wanted, but shook my head.

"Dad, I'm fine. Besides, you need to heal up so you can get back to work," I joked, but I knew he saw right through it.

"Now, Jasmine." I knew he was serious when he said my name. I carefully crawled in beside him on his right side, avoiding his chest, just like I used to when I was a child. I used to have terrible nightmares, so for many years my father would have me sleep beside him, which always kept away the bad dreams.

I felt him press a kiss to my hair and tuck my head underneath his chin. I burrowed myself into his neck and felt him wrap his right arm around me.

"I'm here. I won't leave you, Jasmine. You know, I heard what you were saying to me while I was out." I knew he was trying to distract me, but I was still feeling very raw.

"What did I say?" I asked, though I knew what he was alluding to.

"I'm not going to die like your mother and Kelly did. I'll die of old age surrounded by grandchildren." My father said in an almost humorous tone.

Against my will, tears began gliding down my face. "I need you so much, Daddy. I can't imagine life without you."

"You don't have to. Never again." He insisted, tightening his hand on my side.

We didn't talk much more after that, and I don't remember Callen returning to the room, so I must have fallen asleep. I did wake up enough to hear my dad's voice above my head, conversing with someone, but I fell back asleep too quickly to hear what he was saying.

The next morning I woke up slowly, the room silent. I looked around and saw Callen lying on the empty bed. I was still in the position that I'd been in the previous night, tucked into my father's side. I looked up at my father's face, and he was still sleeping peacefully.

I had missed this, this feeling of safety and familiarity and family. Those feelings were ones I had only when my father, Callen, or a member of the team was around. They were strongest, however, when I was around my dad.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed in my pocket. The buzz reminded me that there was a world outside of this room. I pulled it out and saw that I had six messages- two voicemails from my grandfather, who hadn't been able to make the trip here due to illness and four text messages from Tony, Ziva, and Abby.

I opened up the text messages first, vowing to listen to the voicemails once my companions were awake.

First I opened Abby's message.

_A.S.: Miss u and Gibbs. Will come by as soon as I can. Give my love 2 Gibbs and G._

I quickly texted her back, letting her know that I would pass on her message and would hopefully see her soon. Next I opened Ziva's.

_Z.D.: Jasmine, the team really misses both you and Gibbs. Hope to see you soon. I apologize that I was not able to call you as I said I would. I will visit as soon as possible, though it may not be for some time. Shalom to Gibbs and Agent Callen. _

I replied to her text, telling her that it was fine, and that I missed everyone. I also told her that I would be by the Yard as soon as Dad was released. I also asked her to keep an eye on McGee and Tony. I opened the first of two from Tony.

_A.D.: Hey Jaz, sorry for hanging up on you so suddenly earlier. Abby scares me sometimes. Ducky wants me to pass on his well wishes and says that he misses your lovely face in Autopsy. By the way, I really miss you, and I'm sorry I didn't get over to the hospital to get Gibbs' statement. And I know you're the one who told your dad to make us go home. So thanks. Talk 2 ya later, kid. _

I held in my laugh at Tony's message. I opened the next.

_A.D.: Vance wants me to let you know that he also misses your baby blues in his office. Apparently you watch movies together while we're out on cases?! How was I not aware of this? Have you watched any good ones? Please tell me you guys are not watching the new Hawaii Five-O series. The old one was MUCH better._

Once again, I had to hold my breath to keep from laughing at Tony's absurd message. It was true, that while my father and the team were out in the field, Uncle Leo would clear his schedule and invite me to his office in order to watch movies. I usually picked the movies, and he usually got veto power. But he always let me watch whatever I wanted, regardless. We had just started "The Lincoln Lawyer" the day before my father was shot.

"Jasmine, are you awake?" Callen asked, stretching and sitting up in the other bed.

"Yes, what's going on?" I didn't move, for fear of waking my father.

"I'm going to grab some breakfast, real breakfast, not this food from the cafeteria. I'll be right back, so don't go anywhere, okay?" He explained.

I nodded slowly. "Be careful, G."

He smiled. "I will." Callen left and closed the door behind him.

"Was that Callen?" My father asked, moving slightly, and groaning. I immediately began to pull away, fearing that I'd accidentally pressed on his chest. "No, you're fine, Jasmine."

I pulled away anyway. "I need to move a little bit." I explained. "In fact, I'm going to check with the nurse about when you can be released."

Dad shook his head. "If Callen's gone, I don't want you to leave this room."

"Dad," I protested, "the nurse's station is just outside, and so are two guards that Tony assigned. They must still be out there, because Callen would have let me know otherwise when he left."

"Don't leave. She'll be in soon, I'm sure." He commanded. "Talk to me."

I sighed, but returned to the chair at his side. "What about?"

"Those text messages that you were reading earlier."

I looked at him in surprise. "I thought you were asleep."

Dad smiled, "Who were they from?"

"Well, my nosy dad," I joked, "two from Tony, one from Abby and one from Ziva. One of Tony's was a message passed on from Leo, though."

"Oh, what did they want?"

"To say they missed us. By the way, I was thinking that once you got out of here and were at home resting for a few days, we may just pay a trip to the Navy Yard, since I know you can't stay away very long."

"Sounds good to me."

"As long as, you are on your **best** behavior while resting at home, which means that you listen to what I say, and don't do anything that I tell you not to do." I explained, knowing full well that he probably would do the exact opposite of everything I said.

"We'll see." My father said, chuckling.


	6. Home

**A/N: Is anyone enjoying this story? If so, please review. The feedback that comes from the reviews means a lot to me. **

Chapter Six: Home

"Are you ready now?" I asked for what seemed like the thousandth time.

I heard him rummage around some more in the bathroom before I heard a muffled, "almost".

I sighed impatiently. My dad had finally been cleared to go home today, and he was taking forever to get ready to go.

Callen walked in with two cups of hot chocolate and one cup of coffee. He placed the coffee onto the mobile table and handed me one of the hot chocolates. "Still in the bathroom?" He asked, laughing.

"Yes…" I groaned. "Dad, can you please hurry? I wanted to make your favorite dish for dinner."

The door finally opened, and he stuck his head out. "I just got shot six times in the chest. Give me a break. I'll be out in a few minutes." He once again disappeared and closed the door.

I once again groaned and took a sip of my hot chocolate. "You couldn't have put a shot of vodka in this?" I asked in exasperation.

Callen began laughing even harder. "You're underage, Jaz."

"A lot of help you are," I muttered. I plopped down onto my father's unmade bed.

Just then, a nurse walked in. "These are your father's release forms. Will he be able to sign them?"

I nodded. "He'll manage." He wouldn't want anyone to do anything he was able to do himself.

"I'll just leave the forms on this table. When you're ready to go, just give them to any nurse at the station in the hall." She informed me, placing the papers down and exiting.

"So you're making lasagna for dinner?" Callen remarked, taking a seat next to me.

"Yeah. Is that okay?" I asked, leaning back on the bed.

"Sounds great. If Sam and Deeks were here they would probably eat a tray by themselves." Cal's tone turned wistful when speaking of his teammates, and I knew he missed them.

"You miss them don't you?" I wondered softly.

My brother was quiet for a moment. "Yeah, I do. But when I'm in LA I miss you and Jethro a lot more."

"We miss you too. It almost feels like a part of us is missing without you. Do you know that Dad always sets a place for you? He sets ours, then he sets yours, and then he sets one more in case a member of the team stops by." I explained, linking my arm through his.

"Really?" Cal wanted to know.

"Yes," I confirmed. "Even if ten people stop by, your setting and seat remain empty."

At that moment, the bathroom door finally opened and my father wobbled out. I immediately jumped off the bed in order to be at his side. I wrapped my arm around his back and allowed him to lean on me. He walked slightly hunched over, probably due to the soreness in his chest.

"Are you ready now?" I inquired, walking him towards the bed so he could rest for a moment.

Dad gave me a strict look. "Ya think?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Sign these so I can bring them to the nurse in the hall and we can get you out of here."

The silver haired man signed the forms rapidly and then handed them to me. Callen and I went into the hall and gave the paperwork to the nearest nurse, and returned to the room.

"They'll be in with a wheelchair any moment now." G assured Dad.

Dad nodded and squirmed, trying to sit comfortably. I watched him anxiously, worrying that he was straining himself.

"When we get home, I want you to rest on either the sofa or your bed while I make dinner." I said, resting my arm on his shoulder gently.

I could tell he wanted to argue, but as he tried to shift once more, he seemed to have thought better of it and simply said, "Sofa. So that I can keep an eye on you."

"An eye? On me?" I questioned innocently.

Dad gave me a steely look.

"Hey, don't give me that look. You're the one who needs to be taken care of now."

The wheelchair was walked in by a male nurse who asked my father to carefully take a seat in the chair. He did, and Callen and I- along with all of our combined belongings- followed him out to where there was a government vehicle waiting to take Dad and I home. Callen went to my car, which we'd been using to get around, and followed us home.

The car ride was fairly silent, and when we got home we all sprawled out to get comfortable. Cal and I settled Dad on the sofa with a TV set to keep him busy, though we knew he wouldn't watch, and I set about cooking dinner while Callen went to take a nap on one of the beds.

I texted the team and invited them to dinner the next day. I was tempted to invite them to dinner that night because I missed them, but at the same time I was very tired, and I knew my father was too.

I began by boiling the water for the pasta and preheating the oven. I then started gathering the necessary ingredients for the dish and every so often checking the sofa to make sure my dad was still asleep.

After a few minutes of boiling, I added the noodles and clocked ten minutes. After ten minutes I would check to see whether they were cooked _al dente._ If not, I would boil the noodles for a little longer. Once the noodles were fully cooked, I drained the pasta and set them aside.

Next I placed the pork and beef in the pan. I set the heat to medium-high and cooked the meat until it was brown. I began stirring in tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, garlic, parsley, oregano, sugar, onion, basil, and salt. After those ingredients were mixed together, I simmered it on medium-low heat for thirty minutes and stirred it every so often.

"Jaz?" I heard my father's voice call. I turned and saw him trying to sit up.

I went to him and kneeled beside the couch. "What do you need?"

"Water. Do you need help with that? It smells great." He said appreciatively, still struggling to sit up.

"Will you stay put?" I asked him sarcastically. I went to retrieve his water.

"Where is Callen?"

"Taking a nap like I told him to. He listens to me, at least. Now dinner will be ready fairly soon, so just take it easy here." I returned to the kitchen so I could get dinner moving.

While the ingredients were simmering I combined ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Then in a baking dish I placed two layers of noodles on the bottom of the tray. I layered half of the cheese mixtures, half the mozzarella cheese, and half of the sauce. I then repeated each layer. After that very exhaustive process I covered the pan in aluminum foil and put it in the oven for a half an hour to bake.

Laundry, vacuuming, and dishwashing later, I uncovered the pan and put it back in the oven for ten minutes. While it was baking for the final time I set out each of our settings and got out a beer for Callen.

Once it was finished baking, I went first to wake Callen.

I first ventured to my father's room, but Callen wasn't there. Then I went to mine, and sure enough, Callen was sleeping on the bed. I could only guess why Callen hadn't wanted to sleep in my father's bed- it probably would have felt kind of awkward to sleep where my father and his wives had slept.

"Let's go, Cal. Dinner's ready." I shook his shoulder gently, and he woke suddenly.

"I'm up. You need help with anything?"

"No, it's finished. I'm going to get Dad up now." I informed him as I left the room.

I approached the couch slowly, knowing full well that my dad tended to wake up violently. I gently set my hand on his shoulder, allowing his subconscious to get used to me, before I started to shake his arm softly.

"Dad." I called, "Daddy, dinner's ready."

His eyes snapped open and connected with mine.

"Come on," I coaxed. I helped him off the couch and to the chair at the table that I had prepared especially for him. I had stacked some small pillows against the back of the chair in order to make him more comfortable.

Once we were all settled in, I cut the lasagna and served it.

"I need a beer." Dad said, attempting to stand.

I stopped him. "No, no alcohol with your pain medication. Water, iced tea, or soda is your choices."

Dad looked annoyed, but didn't argue. He just continued eating.

"This tastes fantastic, Jaz." Callen complimented me.

"Thank you, G." I said, blushing slightly at the praise.

We finished eating, my father still slightly moody because I hadn't allowed him to have a beer, and I loaded the dishes in the dishwasher, and started it.

"Do you need help getting to your room?" I asked the melancholy old man.

"No," he started. But when he tried to stand, he groaned.

"Yes you do." I contradicted, helping him out of his chair.

Once I helped my dad into his room, I left him to his devices. When I returned Callen was watching TV on the couch, but his eyes revealed that he was miles away.

I took a seat next to him and laid my head on his shoulder. "Callen, is something wrong?"

The brown haired man snapped to attention and peered down at me. "Nothing's wrong. Everything is okay."

"G. Callen. Do not lie to me. I saw you texting on your phone in the hospital last night and you seemed agitated. You've been distracted lately too. What is going on?"

"Alright, you got me. It's my team in LA. There was an issue. Kensi and Deeks somehow managed to get locked inside a vault, and for a while Sam wasn't sure where they were. They were found and everything turned out to be fine, though, so no worries, kid."

I could tell there was still something bothering him, though. "There's something else, I know there is. Talk to me bro."

"I just…I know I'll have to go back to LA. I love what I do, but I love you and Dad a lot too. Leaving you guys is probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I'm just not looking forward to that again."

"Cal, we'll always be here. No matter where you go, or what you do, we will always be here for you. Dad and I aren't going anywhere." I reassured him, linking my arm through his and holding it tightly.

"I love you, Jaz." He told me, resting his head on mine.

I smiled, content and happy.

We sat for a little while longer, watching "America's Funniest Home Videos" and laughing at all the silly people.

"What are you planning for tomorrow, kiddo?" Callen asked, playing with a few strands of my hair.

"Well, I figured that I'd make a big breakfast for you guys, and then let Dad rest for the morning. If he's feeling up to it, I'll cook again for dinner and invite the team over."

Callen looked at me in feigned surprise. "No lunch?"

I whacked him on the arm. "There's leftover lasagna." An idea then hit me. "I could put it in individual plastic containers so they can take some home with them. I know Tony will be ecstatic. He loves Italian. Ziva would enjoy it, and Tim would like it. Ducky would be delighted, Abby would be excited, and Palmer might turn down the invitation because he'll probably want to be with Breena, who is allergic to dairy products."

G laughed. "You've really thought of everything, haven't you?"

"Oh no!" I suddenly remembered. "I forgot Uncle Leo! Although he may decline in order to spend time with his kids. I know the loss of their mother has hit Kayla and Jared hard. Maybe I'll invite all of them over another time. It may be a tad difficult to fit everyone in here as it is."

"I think they're may be a few folding tables in the basement." G supplied.

"Good. Now all of this planning has exhausted me." I stood, and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight, G. I love you."

"Love you too, Jaz." He told me. He settled himself on the couch and continued watching the TV, but lowered the volume. I knew he was planning to sit up all night guarding the house.

I sighed, but went into my room.

It was about three a.m. when I heard a bump in my father's room- which was right beside mine.

Assuming it was my father; I rolled out of bed and shrugged on my fuzzy purple bath robe. I knew he'd taken his pain medication, which should have knocked him out for a while, so I was cautious when entering his room.

Upon opening the door I was astonished to see him moving- as much as possible given his sore chest- and groaning. He appeared to be having a nightmare of sorts, and either because he wasn't able to fully move, or because he was in pain due to the movements he was making- he was grumbling and groaning.

I put my hand on his shoulder and whispered to him to calm down. I didn't want to wake him completely up, so I just rubbed his shoulder a little to soothe him. "Shannon." He whispered, followed by my sister's name. I waited a few seconds more and I heard him say that Jasmine is beautiful now. Finally, he stopped maneuvering and I left the room.

I didn't hear anything for the rest of the night.


	7. Burned

**A/N: New chapter! Enjoy, and please remember to review.**

**Disclaimer: The only character that I own is Jasmine. The rest belong to the lovely creators of NCIS. **

Chapter Seven: Burned

"I will, Papa. You too. Goodbye." I disconnected the house phone and returned it to the receiver. I had just hung up with my grandfather, who was thankfully on the mend and sounded much better.

I got up from the kitchen table and returned to my room to get dressed in a pair of black yoga pants, an old NIS sweatshirt of my father's, and my running sneakers. Over my pants I fastened a knee brace I wore on my right knee. The injury to my knee was an old softball one that I had never seemed to fully recover from. It became sore easily and occasionally it gave out on me, though that didn't happen often.

I grabbed my iPhone off my dresser and put it on my workout playlist and selected shuffle. I attached my earphones, slid it into my arm band that I wore when I ran, and attached the band to my upper arm.

Then I returned to the living room where Callen was sleeping on the couch. I had woken up a few hours before and insisted that he get some sleep. Now I was about to wake him up again, and I felt sort of guilty, but at the same time I didn't really feel like get chastised by my family for going out on my own while there was a murderer at large.

So I woke him. "Callen!" I said loudly, shaking his shoulder.

"What? What?" He shouted, jumping to attention.

"Shhh, be a little more quiet. Dad's still asleep." I told him, putting a finger to my lips in a shushing motion.

"What's up?" He asked, composing himself.

"I want to go for a run. Do you want to come along?" I asked, moving towards the door.

"Yeah, gimme a sec to put some sweats on." He agreed, going to my room to get his duffel.

As soon as Callen was dressed, we were off. We went about six miles before I suggested we go home. I knew my father would be waking up soon and I wanted to be there in case he needed something.

When we arrived at the house, we greeted the two guards outside and then walked in to find my dad just coming out of his bedroom.

I shut my iPhone off and went over to kiss my dad good morning.

"On a run?" He asked, pulling me close.

I tried to pull away. "Yes, and now I smell, so let me go," I laughed at him when he pulled me to his side again.

At that moment, I saw a flash of red light through the window, and time seemed to slow down.

I knew what it was and what was going to happen. I pushed my father away and tumbled to the ground. The bullets were whizzing past, uncomfortably close.

When I looked up, Callen was outside the window with the agents, guns drawn and pointing in the direction in which the shots had come.

I was a few inches away from my father, who was now sitting up and looking around.

"Jasmine!" He cried when he saw me. I crawled around the leg of the kitchen table and to his side. He pulled me with his right arm to his right side and wrapped his arm around me. As he did so, however, I winced and moved away. My father, of course, noticed, and grabbed my arm roughly to take a look at it.

While my dad was examining my arm, Callen walked in. He didn't say anything, but went right over to the wall in front of which my father and I were standing. The wall now had three bullet holes, and one of them had some kind of red residue on it. That bullet was a little lower than the rest, but was still deeply embedded in the wall.

"Callen, did you find anything?" My father asked.

G shook his head. "Whoever did this is gone. Are either of you hurt?"

"Guys," I began, "there's something red on the wall."

They both looked at the wall and then looked at me. My eyesight was getting blurry, and I was feeling a little faint. The adrenaline was starting to wear off and my arm was burning.

The last thing I heard was my name being called before everything went black.

"Jasmine, baby, wake up."

I first heard his voice. Slowly I began coming back into myself. I became aware of my surroundings and could feel some pain in my right arm.

"Open your eyes, Jasmine." It was a command.

I opened my eyes and saw my dad, Tony, and Ducky standing around me. I was in the hospital, it seemed.

I rubbed my eyes and sat up. "What happened?"

My dad spoke. "Someone shot at the house. A bullet grazed you."

"Oh," I spoke sluggishly, still tired from what I presumed was an anesthetic. "When can I go home?"

My visitors laughed. "Soon," Ducky answered. "They just wanted to keep you for observation."

"Please, Ducky, I don't want to stay overnight." I pleaded, hoping there was a way that I could just go home.

Ducky winked at me, and said, "I'll see what I can do."

After he left to speak with my doctor, I asked how long I was out.

"Well, it's been a few hours. It's about 1400." Tony answered. He was looking at me intently.

"Are you okay?" I asked them.

"The shooter wasn't caught." Tony explained. "So you and Gibbs are going to be put in protective custody until he is."

"What does this mean?" I wanted to know, looking from Tony to my dad and then back again.

"Well, our original plan was to move you to a safe house, but your dad gleefully shot that idea down."

At Tony's choice of words, my dad glared.

"Sorry, wrong choice. Anyway, you will be returning to your home, but we have agents stationed _everywhere. _And when I say everywhere, I mean it. The window that was shot through has been replaced with bulletproof glass, as have all of the other windows in your home."

I looked at him in surprise. "That was fast."

Tony smiled. "I work quickly." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, no leaving the house without an agent, preferably more than one, and do not use your phone, as it is possibly tapped. Oh, and-."

"Tony," I interrupted, "you don't need to describe protective custody to me. I know what it is."

"Oh, right."

"Would you like to come over for dinner?" I invited him, glancing at my dad.

"Are you sure you're up for that?" Dad wondered.

I nodded. "We'll order pizza."

"Sure I am." Tony confirmed, checking his watch.

"Can you tell Ziva, Ducky, and McGee that they are welcome to join us too?" I asked the brown haired man.

"Will do, kiddo."

I rolled my eyes.


	8. Trained

**A/N: Enjoy and please remember to review. If I get at least five reviews I may be able to update the next chapter tonight as well.**

**Disclaimer: I only own Jasmine. The rest of the characters belong to the creators of NCIS.**

Chapter Eight: Trained

It had been two weeks since I was injured at the attack on my house, and in that time I had almost completely healed. My arm didn't even hurt anymore, but the wound itself was still healing. My dad was also healing quickly, thank goodness. He wasn't as sore and was able to stand up straight. His arm would take a few more weeks to heal, but the doctors were pleased with his progress so far.

Also in the past two weeks I had begun training with Ziva. She taught me how to defend myself using martial arts, how to use knives, and also worked with me on how to use a gun. My father approved of the martial arts and knife training but did not approve of my learning to use a firearm. We had had several arguments about it, but he was strictly against it. He knew better than to stop me, however, so he tended to avoid the subject of my firearms training.

I was a little hurt by his refusal to help me learn, but at the same time, I understood. I knew he wanted to protect me at all costs, but what I really wanted was for him to be the one to teach me how to shoot. He was a trained military sniper, he had taken revenge on my mother's and sister's killer, and I looked up to him more than almost anyone.

"Again," Ziva commanded. I had asked her to teach me exactly what she had learned in Mossad, and she honored my wish by turning back into the Mossad soldier that she had been when she first came to the States. At the moment we were practicing knife throwing in the NCIS Garage.

I threw the knife again, and I was about one half of a centimeter off. She shook her head.

"No good. Again."

I threw the knife with as much force as I possibly could, and this time it hit the target directly in the bull's-eye.

She commanded me to do it again, and I obeyed. I was only allowed to stop when I got it into the bull's-eye ten times in a row. She made me do this so that I would be able to do it consistently and so that I would always hit my mark.

Forty-five minutes later I had finally thrown it in the bull's-eye ten times in a row and we took a break.

"You are doing well, Jasmine. You have definitely inherited your father's discipline and determination. You would have made a very dangerous Mossad soldier, and I do not say that lightly. In fact, you would make a very good agent. Is that something you wish to pursue?" Ziva asked, collecting the blades out of the bull's-eye.

I shrugged. "I would like to, but I know I wouldn't be assigned to Dad's team. So I wouldn't be able to work with you guys. Maybe the FBI," I joked.

Ziva laughed. "Your father would probably disapprove of that."

"Probably," I agreed. "I don't mean to offend with this question, and please don't answer if it makes you feel uncomfortable, but did Eli disapprove when you joined NCIS?"

Ziva was quiet for a moment, and when she spoke her voice was low. "Yes, he did. At the time of his death, I knew he was content with my decision. Not happy about it, but…content."

"Can we spar? I have a lot of energy I need to get rid of." I stated, trying to distract her.

She smiled. "Of course."

Ziva began by swinging at me, and I blocked her. I loved sparring, and it always helped me to take my mind off things.

I swung my leg around hers and attempted to knock her off her feet. She stood however, and tripped me. I landed on my back, and she went to "stab" me in the heart. I swung my legs forward and pushed her forward, she landed hard on her elbows and I slid between her legs and did a kip up behind her. I turned swiftly, knowing she had probably already recovered.

She had, and she tried to stab me once again in the face. I moved my head to the side and underhanded my weapon into her stomach.

"Dead," I proclaimed proudly.

Ziva smiled, congratulating me in Hebrew. It was a language among the three she had already taught me, and we conversed for a few minutes.

"We are done for today. I really do want you to know, Jasmine, that you are doing exceptionally well." She sounded proud and I couldn't help but grin. "You really should consider becoming an agent. "You have graduated high school, correct? And you have finished over half of your college career. You have a very good chance of becoming a special agent, though of course you would need to complete your formal training first."

"Thank you for your faith, Ziva, and thank you once again for training me."

"It is my pleasure, but though I am a better fighter than both Tony and McGee, I do advise that you spar against them to get used to fighting a man. I am confident, however, that if you can spar against me and successfully take me down, you will have no problem against an ordinary man." She explained, pulling on her coat. "I will see you here tomorrow at the same time, yes?"

"Definitely." I agreed with a smile.

We went back up to the bullpen and I could see that Tony and McGee were packing up to leave.

"Hey, ladies. Have a good time wrestling around in the garage?" Tony asked, smirking strangely.

I rolled my eyes. "Tony, you are driving me home, right?"

"Yes, my fierce warrior. Are you ready to go?"

I nodded. "I am."

"Then let us be off."

I said my goodbyes to Ziva and McGee and met Tony at his car.

Once we were on my way, I asked, "How close are you to catching the shooter?"

"Very. Tomorrow we will have the blood match results, and then we can bring him in." He answered, not looking at me.

"That's fantastic Tony. My dad will be ecstatic." I told him, puzzling over his strange sullen behavior.

"That's not all. We have a second case Vance threw on our desk today."

I only became more confused. "Is it a difficult one?"

"No, not really."

I was becoming frustrated. "Tony, what is wrong?"

"Your dad is going to be furious."

"Tony!" I shouted.

"Okay, okay. Vance has a special request on this case. He, uh, wants me to lead it while Gibbs is still out, but he's, uh, added a fourth member to the team." He swallowed audibly.

"Another agent?" I inquired.

"Not exactly. More like…an intern, or a trainee."

"Okay, so what's the problem?" I still didn't understand.

"It's you. Vance heard about your training with Ziva. He apparently considers Ziva the deadliest of all of us, and he said that if she has chosen to train you, you must have what it takes to succeed. You're the fourth member. You won't be doing anything 'involved', but you will be observing."

I didn't say anything. I couldn't. Tony was right, my dad would be furious. But it was an amazing opportunity, and one I didn't really want to pass up.

"Uncle Leo has a lot of faith in me." I commented.

Tony looked at me for a moment. "He does. But I know as well as you do, that you can do it. You are as familiar with the procedures as I am. You've been around them your whole life. What concerns me most is Boss." He admitted, sounding intimidated.

"Leave him to me." I said quietly.

"Believe me, I will."


	9. Denied

**A/N: Enjoy and please remember to review! **

**Disclaimer: I only own Jasmine. The rest belong to the creators of NCIS. **

Chapter Nine: Denied

"What? Absolutely not!" My father shouted, upon hearing the news that I was being recruited for the team.

"Daddy, I'll be fine. I know what to do. Please let me do this." I begged from across the kitchen table.

We were sitting at our kitchen table, on opposite ends. We were alone; Callen had left for the evening to go to the bar with Tony, Ziva, and McGee.

"You aren't ready for this yet!" He cried, slamming his palms on the table.

"I am! I think you are the one who isn't ready!" I yelled, standing up. I was so frustrated. I knew that he knew I was ready for this. I didn't understand what was holding him back.

Daddy just looked at me for a long moment. "Jasmine, when I lost your mother and sister, I didn't know how I was going to make it. When I first came home from overseas, you were with your grandmother. I came into this house, and your grandmother was in your room, which was your nursery at the time. She was holding you and rocking you in the rocking chair in the corner. I walked over to her, and she handed you to me. You were six months old at the time, but you were beautiful and you had my eyes. I just looked at your face, and you looked up at me calmly, and it was almost as if even though I hadn't seen you for a very long time, you knew who I was. You smiled, and you reached for my face, and I knew suddenly that everything would be okay. I knew that I had to keep going for you. You are my life, Jasmine. I love you, and I don't want anything to happen to you, not now, not ever."

I sat still and listened while he talked, and when he was done, I was in tears. I immediately stood and went over to him. He was standing and I embraced him as tightly as I could. I heard him groan, but when I loosened my grip, he held me even tighter, letting me know he was okay.

"I love you. I'm sorry." I whispered to my father over and over. I buried my head deeper in his chest and sobbed.

"I'm sorry too." He told me softly, and his voice was wobbly.

He pressed a kiss into my hair and started stroking it softly.

"Be on the team. But be careful. Stay close to Tony or one of the others, and do not leave their sight, do you understand?"

I pulled back to look at him. "I do. Thank you for trusting me, Daddy."

"I've always trusted you. I just want you to be safe."

"I know."

The next morning, Tony picked me up and spoke to my dad briefly. Daddy opted to stay home instead of coming to the Navy Yard with us. Part of me understood, but at the same time I wished he was there.

On the ride over to the Navy Yard, Tony was silent, and I was as well, too lost in my thoughts to try to keep up a conversation.

I felt so nervous, knowing that every move I made was going to be scrutinized by people who were close to me. Knowing that fact almost made it worse, because I wanted to make them proud so desperately.

"We're here." Tony announced as he pulled into the lot.

On our way up to the bullpen, the brown haired special agent pulled me to his side and assured me that I would do fine.

"Thanks Tony," I smiled, feeling slightly better.

"Good morning Jaz." McGee greeted me with a smile. He was already settled in at his desk. "Vance said that he wanted to see you before we started work on this case."

I nodded; I had expected that. I went up to his office and his assistant let me in.

"Hey, Jaz. Good to see you, honey. It's been too long." Uncle Leo said, seated behind his desk. I sat in the empty chair in front of his desk.

"It has. We really need to finish 'The Lincoln Lawyer'," I joked.

"We do," He laughed. "But today you'll be with the team. Agent DiNozzo told me that he has informed you of the situation. I trust your father is aware as well?"

"Yes, he's not too happy about it, but he's given me his blessing, which is a good start," I laughed.

"It is. I'll be expecting a call from him soon. I just wanted you to know to not be nervous. This is simply a trial. If you decide that this isn't what you want, then that is fine. No pressure on you." He explained, leaning forward in his seat. I could tell he wanted me to really listen, so I leaned forward as well.

"I know you can do this. The best way to learn is to observe. Be careful and stay with the other agents." Leo warned me seriously.

I nodded to show him I understood.

"Good. Now you have some work to do." The director said, leaning backwards and giving me a knowing look.

I smiled. "Okay, Director Vance."

Back at the bullpen, Ziva had arrived and Tony was giving both her and McGee their tasks.

When Tony noticed me, he said, "Jasmine, let's go to Autopsy to take a look at the body. The crime scene was processed yesterday by another team, so we'll just have to use their results from the crime scene."

"Good to see you both, Tony, Jasmine." Ducky greeted us as we entered.

The Petty Officer Davis was lying on the metal table. According to what Tony had told me in the elevator down here, he had been shot execution style and left in a dumpster.

"Do you have the TOD and cause, Ducky?" Tony asked.

"I do. I would estimate that this poor fellow died at about 1600 yesterday. For cause of death, I would say that the bullet in the head was sufficient. Our Petty Officer here also left us a few clues as to who his killer is."

"Clues?" I asked, wondering what he meant.

"Yes dear. For instance, some of our unfortunate victims scratch or grab their attacker. When they do that, sometimes hair, skin cells, or other human debris is left behind under their fingernails." Ducky explained, picking up the Davis's hand. "Here, under Petty Officer Davis's right hand, Mr. Palmer and I found some cells that we gave to Abby for further investigation."

"That's good Ducky, anything else?" Tony asked.

"Well, we noticed that there was some bruising on the ribs and back, suggesting that our victim was in a fight recently. I'd say they are as recent as three days ago."

"Thanks Ducky. Let me know if you find anything else."

We walked into the hallway when Tony's phone rang. He put it on speaker and said, "Go."

McGee began talking quickly. "Well, Tony, we have a bit of a problem."

"Go on, McProbie." The senior field agent urged.

"Well, we have a man named Petty Officer Reed who is confessing to the crime. But, I don't think he did it."

"What are you talking about?"

"Tony, he doesn't even know how or when Petty Officer Davis died."

I looked at Tony, and Tony looked back at me with a wide-eyed look on his face.


	10. Eighteen

**A/N: Enjoy and please remember to review. **

**Disclaimer: The only character I own is Jasmine. The rest belong to the creators of NCIS. **

Chapter Ten: Eighteen

"So how was your day?" My father asked after I walked in the door and dropped my gear on the floor beside the doorway.

My father was seated on the couch quietly reading a newspaper. I took a seat beside him and linked my arm through his.

"Tiring, but interesting. A young man named Petty Officer Shaun Reed confessed to his best friend's murder, but he didn't actually know any of the details about Davis's death. They're waiting for a positive ID on the fingerprint samples from the note that Reed produced from Davis." I explained, putting my head on his shoulder. It hadn't fully hit me until that moment that I had missed him very much. Being in the building that I associated with him, doing what I associated with him made it difficult for me to be there without him.

"I missed you, you know." I confessed suddenly.

Daddy put the newspaper down and looked down at me. "I missed you too. Missed having you around here badgering me to go outside and do something with you."

I smiled. "Someone's got to do it. Otherwise you would be holed up in the basement all the time."

Dad laughed and pulled his arm from mine. He wrapped it around my shoulders and drew me into his side. "You know what tomorrow is?"

I nodded sheepishly. I knew he was waiting for me to say it, but I wasn't going to give him the answer he was looking for.

He tapped my shoulder. "Answer."

I sighed and blushed furiously. "My birthday."

Daddy nodded with a smile.

The next day was my eighteenth birthday, and I knew that it would be bittersweet for both of us, but especially for my father. Not only was I growing up too fast in his eyes, but my older sister Kelly would have been in her mid-twenties had she lived.

"Where's Callen?" I asked, curious as to where my brother went. He had been with the team for part of the day, but had mysteriously taken off at some point.

"I don't know. But I sure he'll call when he's ready." Dad said, unconcerned. His relaxed nature made me feel a little more comfortable. If something was wrong with Callen, I knew my father's gut would tell him.

Dad and I talked for about another hour, and then went to bed. Callen still hadn't returned, but we locked the front door anyway. He had a set of house keys, so we weren't worried.

I slept deeply, but vaguely felt someone press a kiss to my forehead.

The next morning, I woke up to the smell of hot chocolate. It was part of the tradition that every morning on my birthday my father would wake me up to the smell of hot chocolate.

I showered and dressed quickly and then went to the kitchen, where my father and Callen were waiting.

"Morning birthday girl!" Callen exclaimed, smiling widely and wrapping me in a hug.

"Thanks Cal." I smiled at him, squeezing him back.

Callen let go and I stepped over to my dad, who was standing at the counter with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Happy eighteenth birthday, Jasmine Ann." He said softly, wrapping me in his free arm and kissing me on the forehead.

"Thank you Daddy. This food smells amazing." I told him, glancing at the chocolate chip pancakes and scrambled eggs- my favorites.

"It better. I slaved over this all morning," he joked.

"I helped!" Callen interjected, setting the plates on the table. I took a seat across from him, at my father's right.

"Not really." My dad contradicted, looking at me conspiratorially. "You licked the mixing bowl."

Callen huffed. "Easier to wash." He protested.

Ten minutes later, we all sat down to our delicious breakfast. My dad didn't cook often, but when he did, it was a real treat.

We chatted about different things, mostly about previous birthdays.

After we finished breakfast, some kind of sign passed between Callen and Dad, and they produced my first birthday gift. I always got one in the morning, and then a few more at night.

"Open it." Callen commanded. "It's from Dad."

I looked up at him, curious. It was wrapped in pink paper with tiaras all over it. I took the gift over to the floor in front of the fireplace and sat down with it. Callen sat on the couch with my father. I then gently unwrapped the paper, always conscious about the fact that my dad had wrapped it and I knew how hard he found wrapping gifts to be.

After unwrapping it, I found a small box that one would usually find a piece of jewelry in. I lifted the lid gently off the box. Inside I found a real 14k gold locket that had 'Mo Chuisle" engraved on the front, and "Love always, Daddy" on the back. I gently lifted the locket out of the box and looked at it closely. The Gaelic words came from one of my favorite movies, one that happened to be one of my dad's favorites too. He used to tell me that those words perfectly described what I was to him.

Tears gathering in my eyes, I found the small opening between the ends of the locket and pried the two sides carefully apart. Inside the small heart-shaped necklace, I found two pictures, one of my Dad, Mama, and Kelly, and one of Callen, Tony, Ziva, Tim, Abby, and Ducky. It appeared to be fairly recent.

When I finally looked up, tears spilled out and I was powerless to stop them. Daddy was sitting on the couch behind me, and I turned to give him a hug.

"Don't cry," he whispered, tugging on a strand of my hair.

I brushed the tears away quickly. "Can you fasten this?" I asked, holding the locket up to him.

Dad smiled and took it from me. I brushed my hair aside and he fastened the necklace around my neck.

"It looks beautiful on you, Jasmine." Callen complimented me. I blushed and thanked him.

Just then my cell phone began to ring.

"Hello?" I said, curious. It was a Saturday and Vance had given me the day off because it was my birthday.

"Jasmine!" Tony replied happily. "Happy birthday baby!"

"Thanks Tony," I laughed.

"Happy birthday Jaz!" I heard McGee call in the background.

I heard some more wrestling and then Abby's voice came on the line.

"Jasmine! Happy birthday girl!" She exclaimed. "I'll be by later with Tony, McGee, and Ziva. Ducky says that his mother isn't feeling very well and he has to tend to her. But he said to tell you to have a very happy birthday and that he has a little something for you next time he sees you."

"Oh, thank you Abby. I can't wait to see all of you." I told her.

"Uh oh, Vance is here, gotta go. See you later sister!" She said before hanging up.

After I disconnected the call both my father and Callen wanted to know what the call was about.

"Abby, Ziva, Tony, and Tim are coming by later."

"Oh, okay." My father said, shrugging his shoulders. "As long as they're gone by 22:03."

I nodded, understanding why that time was significant. "I can't wait."


	11. Memories

**A/N: Enjoy this chapter, and please remember to review, as always!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Jasmine. The rest of the characters belong to the creators of NCIS. **

Chapter Eleven: Memories

"Open mine next." Ziva commanded, thrusting a rather heavy gift bag at me.

It was about 17:00 and we had just finished dinner. They had sung "Happy birthday" to me and we had sliced the cake that Callen had covertly picked up from the bakery late last night.

Currently, I was sitting once again on the floor in front of the fireplace. My family was gathered around me, also on the floor, with the exceptions once again being Callen and my father.

I was still wearing the locket he had given me earlier, and I vowed inwardly to never take it off except when absolutely necessary, besides when showering, swimming, etc.

I took the "Happy birthday" bag from her and lifted the tissue paper out of it. I reached inside and my hand closed around what felt like a book, or books. I turned the bag on its side and pulled out a few books on languages, mostly the ones that she had been teaching me. I also pulled out a book that contained cultural information on some of the most fascinating cultures in the world.

"Thank you Ziva, so much! I can't wait to read them. The language books will prove to be so helpful, and I'm sure the cultural book will be exciting. Thank you, Ziva." I told her, reaching over and pulling her into a hug.

"I am glad you will enjoy them. I know you prefer those educational readings so I am very happy to know that I chose well." She answered, beaming.

"You did, Ziva. I'm so excited." I replied as McGee offered me his gift.

His gift was contained in a small, flat box. I couldn't guess what it was.

I looked at him, and he looked sheepish. "It's a book." He elaborated.

I nodded in understanding, smiling the entire time.

I carefully opened the box and found a book inside. However, it wasn't any old book. It was a first edition copy of To Kill A Mockingbird.

Tim was watching my face carefully, but I couldn't hold in my excitement.

"Tim, you didn't have to do this. In fact, none of you had to, but Tim, this had to be so expensive!"

"What exactly is it?" Tony asked, puzzled. He looked around me to try to get a closer look.

"A first edition copy of To Kill A Mockingbird." I answered, staring at the book in my hands.

"Whoa, Probie. She's right." Tony said. "Not that she doesn't deserve the world, but- I'm going to stop talking now."

I glared at him playfully before turning back to Tim.

McGee shrugged. "I have a friend who deals in antique novels, so he was happy to give me an extremely reasonable price for it."

I shook my head. "You shouldn't have spent anything on me, any of you. Just having you all here is enough."

"Tony did say one thing correctly. You deserve the world, Jaz. You are quite an amazing young woman." Ziva replied. "I often think that if Tali had lived to be your age, she would be quite similar to you. In fact, some of the things you do remind me of things that she did."

I felt overwhelmingly emotional at that. I smiled at her.

"Hey, no crying before you get to mine." Tony said quickly, handing me his gift, which was also small.

I opened his gift, and was struck by what a sentimental gift it was.

"This is beautiful Tony. He got me a Pandora bracelet," I said for my dad's and Callen's benefit, who couldn't see the small gift.

I looked closely at the beads, and noticed that there was a tiny "N" "C" "I" and "S" spelling out "NCIS". There was also a little rose, because they often called me rosy because of my cheeks. There was a shoe, because I kicked ass, according to Tony himself.

"Thank you, Tony. Thank you, all of you. You didn't have to do this."

"Wait! You haven't opened mine!" Abby cried, handing me a large, awkwardly wrapped, soft bundle.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I took the bundle from her and unwrapped it. I laughed uncontrollably when I saw it, and so did the others in the room.

It was Bert II, the farting hippo. He also had a spiked dog collar. I held him tightly and giggled when he farted.

"Thank you Abby, so much!"

A few hours later, it was almost time for our last tradition. The team had gone home, making various excuses.

Callen had cleared the floor as per my instructions, and he sat on the couch. Daddy had gone into his room to change into his clothes, and I went to my room to do the same.

A few minutes later, I was ready. It was 21:59. I was dressed in my favorite emerald green dress with a gold tiara. Reminiscent of the one I had worn all those years before. Ever since I was one year old, my father dressed me in a pretty dark green dress my mother had bought for me before she passed, and would dance with me right around the exact moment I was born. It was always to the same song.

I walked into the living room. Daddy was dressed in his suit with his tie, and standing next to the CD player.

I went to him, and nodded. He pushed 'play' and took me into his arms.

"Lost" by Michael Bublé, one of our favorite singers began to play. This was our song, and Daddy often said that he chose it because it perfectly described how he was feeling after we'd lost my mother.

As we swayed around the room, I remembered all of the previous times we'd done this and realized just how much this particular tradition meant to me.

"I love you, Jasmine. I will always be there for you." Dad whispered in my ear.

I cuddled closer to his chest, once again realizing how much I needed and would always need my dad.

By the time the song ended, it was about 22:04.

"Happy birthday, Jasmine." Daddy said. "Are you ready to go to sleep?"

I nodded.

I said good night to Callen, who told me how beautiful I looked and then wished me a happy birthday again.

"You can open my gift tomorrow." He whispered as we hugged.

I pulled away, slightly confused, but let the subject go.

That night I went to sleep with thoughts about how much of a lucky girl I was. I couldn't be more grateful for my family and for the opportunities that I'd had.

Then, just before I sank into unconsciousness, I could have sworn I heard a female voice say, "Happy birthday, my Jasmine. I love you."


	12. Fools Rush In

**A/N: Enjoy this chapter and please remember to review. **

**Disclaimer: I only own my OC Jasmine, the rest belong to the lovely creators of NCIS.**

Chapter Twelve: Fools Rush In

It had been one week since my birthday, and everyone had gone back to their normal routines. Callen had returned to LA, very reluctantly. He hadn't wanted to go, but my father had told him that he couldn't stay here when his team in LA needed him. Ever since his departure, he'd called me every day several times.

My dad had also gone back to work. He'd informed me that the Davis case had been closed, and that Reed hadn't actually committed the murder. The real murderer had convinced him that he had when he was drunk one night. I was thrilled to find that Shaun hadn't done it. He seemed like a good guy.

Now that my father was back at work and my spring break from college was over, I was able to continue with my online college studies.

At about 1700 I finally finished my work and began cleaning the house. I knew my father wouldn't be home for a few more hours and I wanted to get as much done as soon as possible so that I'd have time to make dinner and get it on the table by the time he arrived.

I grabbed the vacuum out of the hall closet and turned it on. The loud sound drowned out all other sounds, and I didn't see the front door open and close.

My back was turned to the door, and when I felt a hand suddenly touch my shoulder, I jumped. The handle of the vacuum fell out of my hands, and I spun around quickly.

The surliest man I've ever had the pleasure of meeting was standing there, looking at me with an almost amused expression on his face.

"Agent Kort, it's good to see you. Still looking as pleasantly charming as ever." I greeted him, reaching down to switch the vacuum off.

"Jasmine." He greeted me. "Is your father at home?"

"No. Only me. He should be home soon though if you want to wait. In fact, why don't you stay for dinner? I think I'm going to make grilled chicken and vegetables." I told him.

Despite the uneasy antagonism between my father and Trent, they were in fact; cordial to each other, and Trent actually did like me.

Trent looked around and then back at me. "Your father wouldn't approve."

"You're a guest of mine." I told him, "Besides, my father respects you. It's not immense, but it's there."

Trent finally nodded.

"So why are you here?" I asked, picking up the vacuum and propping it up. I went to the kitchen and got a glass of water for myself and a beer for him.

"To give you this and to talk to your father." He was holding a small, plain box. I walked over to him and took the box, looking at it for a moment.

"What is this for?" I asked. Then I remembered. "Gun up."

Trent rolled his eyes, but understood what I meant and hung his gun holster up on the coat rack near the door.

"It's for your birthday. I know it's a bit late." He actually seemed a bit apologetic.

"Don't worry about it." I told him, waving off his apology. I opened the box and found a beautiful pearl necklace inside.

I looked up at him in surprise. "Trent, you didn't have to do this. This is beautiful!"

Trent smirked. "I'm glad you like it. What is that?" He was pointing at my feet.

I looked down to see my black Converse and a little black puppy sitting next to them. I cooed softly, and my baby looked up with sleepy eyes.

"Trent, meet Onyx. Onyx, Trent." I introduced them to each other as I picked the little black ball of fur up.

"Where did that come from?" He asked, looking at me quizzically.

I smiled, "Callen gave both Onyx and his sister Aniu to me for my birthday. They're only four weeks old. The vet rescued them both from their mother when she was dying from a hit and run. The other babies didn't survive."

"Where is the other one?" He wondered, looking around for Aniu.

Trent followed me as I led him to my room where Aniu was sleeping on a large orthopedic pet pad. I handed Onyx to Kort, even though I knew he'd try to refuse. He did, but I didn't back down, and eventually he took Onyx into his arms.

I picked up Aniu in one arm and their pet pad in the other, and brought it to the main room. I placed it near the fireplace and laid it down. I put Aniu back down on it, and she rolled over into a more comfortable position and went back to sleep.

"Do you want to hold Onyx, or would you like to put him down?" I went into the kitchen to begin dinner, and based on the footsteps I heard following me, I assumed that Trent was still holding Onyx.

"Tell me about your friends." Trent sat down at the table with Onyx sleeping peacefully in his arms.

"They're more like family, Trent. Sort of like you."

"What?"

"Trent," I began, "you're more like my brother than a friend. You always send me birthday presents-."

"Late," he interjected.

"Yes, but you send them even though I told you not to. And I know you called the hospital to see how my father was doing after he was shot. The nurses wanted to know whether they should give you any information." I revealed, pulling out the ingredients.

"I'm too old to be your brother."

"Please. At least, I would say that you're in your mid-thirties. Most, mid-fourties. Tony seems to be about as old as you are, and I consider him my brother."

"It's because he's immature." But he didn't confirm or deny my estimates of his age.

I shook my head. "So if you aren't my brother, then what would you like to be?"

Trent just shrugged, not caring.

"Okay, Uncle Trent." I joked. "Do you like peas, broccoli, and corn?"

"That's fine."

"You are a man of few words, Uncle Trent." I informed him as I began cooking the meal. I glanced at my watch. "Daddy will be home soon."

"Try right now. What the hell are you doing here Kort?" My father said angrily. He was standing in the doorway, holding his gun as though he were just about to put it up. The door was still open behind him.


	13. Meanings

**A/N: Please remember to enjoy and review!**

**Gibbsgirl1980- Thank you for your feedback, and it is my story, but I want all of you guys to enjoy it. Your review was really encouraging and I can't thank you enough for that. I got a great idea from your review as well, so thank you. :)**

**Disclaimer: I only own my OC Jasmine. The rest belong to the lovely creators of NCIS. **

Chapter Thirteen: Meanings

"Why are you here, Kort? Alone, with my daughter?" My father demanded, kicking the front door shut.

"He came to drop off my birthday present. And he wanted to talk to you." I explained, continuing with dinner.

"I'm here now. Talk." Dad commanded.

"I come from Israel. With David's death, Mossad has been bouncing off the walls, as your agent probably knows. I went there to help an old friend. The CIA sent Cruz a text telling him to eliminate me. I knew that Cruz was after me in Tel Aviv but I managed to escape him. Though he is in federal custody now, I know that the CIA won't stop until I've been eliminated. I need your help to find out who issued that order."

"Why are they after you?" My dad wanted to know.

"I don't know for sure. But I do know that they don't trust me." He explained.

My dad softened slightly. "How are you doing without that eye?" He was referring to the eye that Kort lost during the P2P case.

"Dad." I said, warning him.

"Just askin'." He defended himself.

I rolled my eyes, though I knew he couldn't see them. "We're having grilled chicken and vegetables for dinner. Trent's staying for dinner."

"Uncle." He corrected me, showing a hint of a smile.

"Almost," I remarked, referring to his smile.

At that moment, Aniu woke up and started whining. I left the chicken to cook and went to her. Trent was still holding Onyx, and the puppy was still sleeping comfortably.

"They need to be fed," I pointed out. "I should also take them out. Daddy can you watch the chicken cook? I'm going to feed them quickly, let them digest, and then Uncle Trent can help me take them out."

My father nodded, and I fed Aniu first. After she was finished, I took Onyx from Uncle Trent, who seemed slightly reluctant to give him up. After they were both fed, I brought them to the backyard, one in each arm.

After Aniu and Onyx did their business, I carried them back inside and enlisted Trent to keep them entertained while I finished dinner.

"How am I supposed to keep two dogs entertained?" He wanted to know, looking at the little duo looking up at him curiously.

"Throw them a ball or play-wrestle with them." I suggested.

Trent just looked at me.

"Okay, you know what? You and Dad can set the table. We need five settings." I told him, glancing at both him and my dad. Neither moved. "Now. Dinner's almost ready."

"Why five settings?" Trent inquired.

"Dad, can you explain?" I asked, but my dad shook his head.

"You should explain." He simply said.

I turned from the counter and looked at Trent. "There's a setting for you, my father, and myself. I always set two extras. One for a member of the team in case they stop by and one for Callen. It's so that he always knows he has a place at home." I said quietly.

Trent just looked at me.

"Dinner's ready." I announced, forcing my voice to sound happy.

Dad set the table and Trent helped me to serve the food. We began eating in silence, but finally Daddy broke the silence by telling me about Tony's latest nickname for McGee.

"I'm going to head out." Trent said suddenly, picking up his empty plate and bringing it to the sink.

"Don't worry about washing it." I told him. "Where will you go?"

"Hotel." He answered. "I'll meet you at Quantico at 0700." He informed my dad. He looked to me. "The meal was very good, Jasmine."

I nodded. "I'll walk you out." I walked with him to the street where there was a car parked on the curb.

"I didn't mean to upset you back there." Trent apologized softly.

I smiled a little. "I know, but you didn't upset me. I just miss Callen a lot when he's away, and he has a hard time being far away. He would stay here with us forever if he could, but he can't leave his team. It hurts when he's away." I looked up at Trent for a moment. I thought about all the times I had met him when I was younger. I remembered the first time I met him in my house.

_Trent Kort was uncomfortable. It wasn't a particularly familiar feeling to him, as he was the one usually making people feel uncomfortable with his dry remarks, but at this moment, that's how he felt._

_In fact, Trent wasn't even sure how he got here. His current location and the reasoning behind it still weren't completely making sense to him, but according to his boss, this is where he needed to be. There was a new case that NCIS was handling that his boss wanted in on. So Trent was recruited to be the CIA liason to NCIS. _

_While he was waiting for Gibbs to reappear from wherever he went, he noticed movement out of his peripheral vision. _

_A little girl about five years old walked over to the CIA agent and pulled on his pants leg. He looked down, and saw the little redhead look up expectantly. _

"_Who are you?" She asked the mysterious man. _

_The man looked around curiously, looking for Gibbs to help him out. This girl must be his daughter, she had blue eyes that looked just like his. _

"_I'm your daddy's friend." He answered, feeling awkward. _

"_I don't know you." She remarked, still observing him closely. _

"_My name is Trent, and I don't think you should be talking to me. Doesn't your daddy ever tell you not to talk to strangers?"_

_The little girl nodded, her red curls bouncing. "But you said you're my daddy's friend. And you're a good person. I can tell." _

"_Can you now?" He asked her. _

"_Uh huh. I can tell these things. Can you pick me up now?" The girl asked. _

_Trent knew that this probably wasn't a very good idea- her father certainly wouldn't approve- but he liked this little girl. _

"_Only if you tell me your name."_

"_My name is Jasmine Anne Gibbs. Can you pick me up now?" She repeated, emphasizing the word 'now'. _

_Trent laughed, one of the few times in his life he could actually remember doing so, and picked up the little girl. She settled into his arms and rested her head on his chest. _

_There was something about this little girl that Trent couldn't put his finger on. But she made him feel. She made him feel again, and he felt a sense of contentment that he couldn't remember feeling. It was almost enough to make him want kids of his own. Almost. _

"_You're good Trent." She said softly, and it sounded to him like she was beginning to fall asleep. Her arms wound around his neck and she clung to him. _

I looked to Trent and he appeared to be lost in memories too.

"It's the same with you. You've been there for me since I was five. I do miss you when you're away. But at least Callen calls. You don't even call. In fact, I had no idea about your eye until my father told me. I've missed you." I was emotional suddenly, and I knew all my emotions about Kort and Callen were coming to the surface. I threw my arms around the surly man.

I took Trent by surprise, but eventually his arms came around me and he gave me a hug.

After a minute, he pulled away. "I'll see you tomorrow. I promise." He vowed before getting into his car and driving away.

I went back inside and my dad was waiting on the couch. I saw that the dishes were washed and put away and that my puppies were on my dad's lap.

When he saw my tear-stained face, he patted the seat next to him. After I sat down, he wrapped his arm around me, and I knew that he knew what had happened outside.

"Are you going to help Trent?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

He nodded. "I'll do what I can. What do you want to watch?" He inquired, referring to the TV.

"One Tree Hill." I replied. "Nathan is so good-looking."

I laughed at my father's reaction.


	14. Missing You

**A/N: This chapter has a few flashbacks at the end. Flashbacks are in third person. Please enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I only own my OC Jasmine. The rest of the characters belong to the creators of NCIS. **

Chapter Fourteen: Missing You

"I miss you." I heard from a familiar voice on the other line. I hadn't even bothered to check the caller id, knowing that only my family had my cell number, but I hadn't expected to hear from Callen so late.

I sighed, feeling disheartened. I missed him too, more than he could know. But I didn't want to make him feel any guiltier. "I'm here. I'll always be here."

"I know." And I knew he did. His past made him very wary of getting too close to people. Growing up without parents and the loss of his sister wounded Callen deeply, and I knew he was very afraid of something happening to my father and me.

"So how is Deeks? And Sam and Kensi?" I asked, trying to take his mind off of the distance between us.

There was a pause before he answered. "They're fine." He said hesitantly. "I'm still at the hacienda so I'd rather not make them aware that I'm talking to you. They'll probably beat me down in order to get my phone."

I laughed. "Put me on speaker then."

"I'd rather not yet. How is Dad?" He wanted to know.

"He's fine. In fact, he's been busy with his latest case, but he promised to acknowledge my existence very soon." I joked. I repositioned the phone between my shoulder and my ear while I washed dishes from our team dinner.

I should have known that the fact that there was a big case would grab his attention. "What case? Is something going on?"

I hesitated before telling him that it involved Trent. Callen, like my father and Tony especially, was very suspicious of Trent.

"Trent is back." I paused, trying to figure out how to phrase my next words. "The CIA is after him, and he wants Daddy's help in figuring out why."

Callen grew angry. "He's dragging Dad into something that could potentially be dangerous! What the hell is he thinking?"

"Callen," I said, trying to calm him down. The team, my father, and Trent were all sitting in the living room. "Daddy knows what he's getting into, and I'm sure it isn't anything dangerous. According to what Trent said, all he needs is to know who issued the kill order on him."

"Jasmine, I love you, you know that right? Please put Dad on." I hesitated, but left the dishes in the sink for the moment and went to the living room.

"Daddy, Callen needs to talk to you. I think its business." Dad's face grew serious and he took the phone and went to the basement.

I could feel everyone's eyes on me as I left the room, but I didn't want to think about it. I carefully picked up the dish I had been working on and gingerly washed it.

My mind was swirling and I was completely distracted. So much so that I didn't even hear footsteps coming toward me.

"Jaz, are you okay?" Tony asked with his hand on my shoulder.

I withdrew my soapy hands from the sink, wiped them on a kitchen rag and wrapped my arms around Tony.

"That bad, huh? What's going on with Callen?"

I just buried my head deeper in his chest, not really wanting to talk about it.

Tony pulled away slightly. "I can't help you if I don't know what's going on. Please, explain it to me."

"I'm afraid I really upset Callen. He wanted to know what Trent was doing here, and I was trying to tell him that there was no real danger, but he just demanded to talk to Dad. I just want everyone I love to get along. Even you and Trent." I pointed out, looking at him.

Tony seemed to be working up to something, so I let him think. "I practically had to fight the guy for the right to come in here and talk to you, because for some reason he thought that he should. But, I do not like him. I probably never will." At my look, he quickly continued. "But, I can also see that he cares about you in his own strange way. Though he will never love you as much as I do because that's impossible, I suppose I can try to be civil because we do have one thing in common."

I was confused for a moment. "What is that?"

"You. We care about you. I can be civil to Agent Eyepatch for you."

"Tony…" I began, but he had made me smile, so I couldn't be too annoyed with him.

"Okay, okay. Jokes are done." He replied, holding his hands up, palms out.

I smiled in response and once again hugged him tightly.

"Come watch 'Gone with the Wind' with us." He urged, but I shook my head.

"I love that, but I'm kind of tired. I think I'm just going to let my puppies out and then go to bed." I explained.

"Have they been fed?" Tony asked.

I nodded, "They've been fed, I just need to let them out."

"Let me," Tony offered, but I shook my head.

"You're a guest here." I objected.

Tony rolled his eyes. "I'm your brother, remember? Allow me."

I looked at him for a long moment. "Okay. When you take them out you have to carry them out and place them in the grass. They don't go too far, because they're still pretty young, but keep an eye on them; they're fast. They'll do their business, and then you'll have to carry them back in. You remember their names, right?"

"New-a and something to do with black, right?" Tony guessed.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes. "Tony, the little white female is Aniu. 'A-new'. It means 'white female wolf'. The little black male is Onyx."

"But they aren't wolves are they?" He asked hesitantly.

"No, they're German Shepherd puppies."

"Good."

Hours later, I was asleep, the team was gone, and my father presumably working on his boat in the basement.

My phone, however, had other plans for me. My cell phone was placed on the nightstand next to me, probably by my father who hadn't gotten off the phone with Callen before I'd gone to sleep.

"Hello?" I asked, my voice rumbly from sleep.

"I'm so sorry for being so abrupt earlier." Callen told me. He sounded exhausted.

"Callen, weren't you asleep?" I checked the time. It was 0200. "It's really late- or early."

"I couldn't." He admitted. "I knew I'd hurt you and it kind of stuck with me. I'm sorry for that, Jaz."

"Don't apologize, buddy." I assured him. A yawn escaped me.

"Go back to sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you, baby girl."

"Goodnight Callen. I love you too. Get some sleep, bro."

I fell back into a deep sleep where I dreamed of the first time I met Callen.

"_And this is it? Jethro Gibbs's humble abode?" G. Callen joked as he shut the door behind him. _

_Jethro glared at him playfully. "I want you to meet someone." _

"_Jasmine?" Callen inquired. He was one of the few people who knew about the death of Jethro's wife and oldest daughter. It had only been three years since, and Callen intuitively knew that his mentor was still suffering. _

_Jethro simply nodded and disappeared into the hall._

_The younger man glanced around curiously. It was plain and simple, but it fit Jethro's personality. Callen looked for photos of his mentor's late wife and daughter, but there were none. _

_At that moment, Jethro reappeared with a sleeping beauty. She had red, curly hair that was almost orange and was wearing a pair of little jeans and a pink sweatshirt that said "Daddy's little princess" on it. She was small for her age, he noticed. _

"_Jasmine, wake up, sweetheart." He heard Jethro say softly in her ear. The little princess in his arms cuddled even closer to her father and tucked her head under his chin. Jethro tried again to get her to wake up. This time, she opened her eyes, and Callen was stunned by them. _

_Her large, cerulean blue eyes looked very similar to her father's, and one could even say that they were the same shade. Those clear, alert eyes focused on him. _

_Jasmine watched the unfamiliar man. He was observing her as well, and she felt shy. _

_The three year-old looked at her father, who nodded. She opened her arms and reached toward the stranger, feeling slightly more comfortable now that her father had given his approval._

_Callen saw the little arms stretch toward him, and though he had never held a child this young before, he instinctively reached for her. He took the red haired princess into his arms and she clung to him. She held tightly to him and rested her head on his chest. _

"_She's going to sleep." Jethro informed him as he led the way to his couch. _

"_Really?" Callen was surprised. He hadn't expected her to trust him that quickly._

"_Yes. Kids have a way of looking past our mistakes and faults. They see the person who is inside of us. Jasmine trusts you because she can see who you are inside." The widower explained. _

_Callen thought for a moment. "Will she always be able to do that? Look at someone and be able to see who they are inside?" _

_Gibbs looked at him seriously. "I hope so. I really hope so. I'll do everything I can to try to preserve her sense of innocence and confidence, but I will need your help." _

_G looked at Gibbs and then at the sleeping toddler in his arms. "Anything. I'll do anything." _

The next dream starred my father and Callen talking about Trent and the first time I'd met him.

"_So what did Jasmine do when she saw Kort?" Callen asked. He and Gibbs were sitting at the kitchen table and talking over cups of coffee. _

"_He didn't know that I was watching them. She wanted to know who he was. He told her that he was my friend. She looked at him for a second and then asked him to pick her up. He wanted to know her name. Jasmine told him, and he picked her up. She trusts him, even if I don't." _

"_I don't know him very well, but from what you've told me he sounds slippery." G observed. _

_Jethro thought about it. "He seems slippery. But, she trusts him, and so I will give him a chance." _

_Callen thought back to the first time he'd met the little girl he considered his sister. _

"_Remember what you told me when I first met Jasmine?" _

_Gibbs smiled and nodded. "Kids have a way of looking past our mistakes and faults. She still has that ability, and for that I'm grateful." _

_Callen smiled in response. "Me too."_


	15. Restart

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs. The other characters belong to the creators of NCIS. **

Chapter Fifteen: Restart

_The catatonic marine stood in front of his front door for about ten minutes, trying to work up the strength he needed to go in to the house he had shared with his wife and daughters, until recently. _

_The death of his dearly beloved wife Shannon and daughter Kelly had sent the marine home to take care of his surviving daughter, six month-old Jasmine. _

_Until his arrival home, his mother-in-law had been given custody of Jasmine. When Jethro had last spoken to her, she had promised that she wouldn't take Jasmine out of the house. He was very aware that there was still a threat to Jasmine. Whoever had killed her mother and sister may come after her next. That was only one of the reasons, however, that he hadn't wanted Joann to take his daughter out of the house._

_Finally, the man let himself in, silently noticing that the door wasn't locked as it should have been. _

_Looking around, Gibbs noticed that almost nothing had changed since his deployment. Shannon had must have recently done the laundry because there was a basket of clean baby laundry on the couch. They hadn't been folded, and Gibbs knew that she had probably meant to after the doctor's appointment the day she was killed. _

_The fireplace mantle was covered in photos of himself and Shannon, himself and Kelly, and photos of him in his marine uniform. He looked away, unable to handle the emotions that they arose in him._

_At that moment, he heard the soft cry of an infant from one of the bedrooms. His feet took over, and before he knew it he was right outside the bedroom he had shared with his wife, that his wife then shared with Jasmine after she was born. _

_The silver haired man's eyes were drawn to the corner of the room, where there was an older woman holding a baby whom Gibbs had never seen in person before. _

_He moved further into the doorway and Joann's eyes met his. _

_She stood. "Jethro." _

_Gibbs simply nodded, not able to speak. _

_Joann smiled through the tears in her eyes. She approached him slowly, holding the infant out. "This is your daughter, Jethro. This is Jasmine." _

_The widower felt as though he was a new father all over again. This little girl whose life he had missed six months of didn't know him, and he felt a great sadness over never knowing what her first six months had been like. _

_He reached out to hold her, and she settled into his arms without much complaint. He pulled her close to his chest and laid his cheek against her tiny head gently. _

"_I'm going to warm her bottle." Joann informed him before leaving father and daughter alone. _

_Jasmine reached her arms up suddenly, startling Jethro. She reached for his face, and when she finally touched it, she smiled at him. _

_His breath hitched, and he finally looked- really looked- at his daughter's eyes. They were just like his, and the color of them was nearly identical. _

"_You're my daughter, but you already know that, don't you?" He readjusted her so that he could look at her directly. "You're so beautiful. I promise you that I will always protect you and love you. I will love you forever, Jasmine. And I am going to keep you safe." Once again he readjusted her, and Jasmine automatically squirmed closer to him. _

_Joann Fielding stood just outside the doorway of the room, where Jethro had been standing moments earlier. She watched her son-in-law sit in the rocking chair in the corner, rocking her granddaughter gently. He didn't even look up, but instead stared into Jasmine's eyes, the ones so similar to his. _

_Jasmine's grandmother heard Jethro whispering to his daughter softly, and she couldn't help but feel relieved that he had finally met his daughter._

"_I love you." Jethro whispered over and over to the baby, holding her gently. He couldn't imagine ever letting her go._

_But it had been a little over eight years since he had held and cared for an infant, and he wasn't sure whether he would be very good at it the second time around, especially without his wife. _

"_Jethro, I have her bottle. Would you like to feed her?" Joann asked. _

_Jethro looked up, surprised. "I would. Thank you, Joann." _

_Joann just nodded in response and handed him the bottle. _

_The marine took the bottle carefully and put it to his daughter's lips, waiting for her to latch on to the nipple and suckle._

_Jasmine grabbed at the bottle before her miniature hands wrapped around it. She actually brought it to her lips and began sucking hungrily. _

_Her father watched in amazement as she took control and ate. _

_After a few minutes, she let go of the bottle and stopped sucking. Her father understood and placed the bottle on the nearby nightstand. He readjusted her position to upright on his shoulder in order to burp her. _

"_One second, Jethro." Joann interjected, stopping him. She grabbed a small piece of square fabric and gently placed it on his shoulder, under Jasmine. "There you go." She told him. _

_Gibbs nodded, and began softly but firmly patting his infant on the back. It took a few tries, but finally he got a satisfying burp out of her. Once he did, he decided to put her down in her crib. _

_But as he stood and moved to the crib, Joann once again stopped him. _

"_No, Jethro. She does sleep in the crib from time to time, but she also enjoys cuddling. Shannon-." Joann swallowed the lump in her throat. "Shannon would take a nap with Jasmine. She'd lay Jasmine at her side on her back, and she would lie carefully beside her on the bed. Or she would lie on the couch and rest Jasmine face down on her stomach. But, if you would like to lay with her on the couch, be careful and stay awake. She could accidentally fall." _

_Jethro looked at her for a long moment, and then nodded. "Thank you Joann. Thank you." _

"_Yes." Joann swallowed again. "It was my pleasure. I will see you- I will see you soon, Jethro. Take care of my granddaughter."_

_The silver haired man nodded. "I will. I promise." _

"Gibbs! Are you paying any attention to what I have been telling you?" Uncle Leo asked my dad. He had been staring off into space for the last few minutes.

Daddy's attention snapped back to the present. He looked to me. I just stared back, unsure of what was going on.

"Where is the case currently at?" Leo asked again.

Tony jumped in. "Right now we're running basic searches. I've taken the lead on this case as the boss works with Agent Eyepatch in order to find out who issued his kill order."

"Have you found anything in these searches?" Leo wanted to know.

"We're still running them." Tony replied.

Leo turned to Daddy. "Have you found anything on the kill order?"

Daddy shook his head. "No one will admit to anything, but I'm still looking."

"Speaking of, where is Agent Kort?" Leo inquired.

Only Uncle Leo, Tony, my father, and I were in the room, and Trent wasn't around.

My father answered. "Ziva's keeping an eye on him downstairs."

"Okay. Go, get out of here. Except for you, Miss Jasmine." The NCIS director said, looking at the others.

Tony gave me pat on the arm as he walked by, but my dad didn't leave immediately.

He looked at Leon. "Is something wrong?"

My father's boss shook his head. "No, I just wanted to let her know that 'The Lincoln Lawyer' is in my DVD player. Right where we left off." He winked at me.

"Sounds good." I commented.

Dad looked at me, and then said, "I'd actually like you to do something for me."

I was surprised, because he didn't usually ask me to do errands. "Okay. I'll be by later, Uncle Leo."

He smiled. "I'll hold you to that."

My father and I left Uncle Leo's office together. His arm was around my shoulders and I felt as though something were off.

As we walked to the conference room, I asked, "Daddy is everything okay?"

"One second." He told me, opening the door for me and ushering me inside.

"Daddy, you're worrying me."

"I just wanted to ask my beautiful daughter if she would do me the honor of accompanying me to dinner tonight." He said it so nonchalantly that I grew suspicious.

"Is something going on?" I inquired.

"No. I just thought about how little time we spend together, and I want to change that. I haven't been the best father to you, and I'm sorry Jasmine." My father seemed really anxious.

I immediately hugged him, and replied, "You have been an amazing dad. Please don't ever doubt that." I told him. "But dinner tonight sounds great. What should I make?"

Dad shook his head. "You aren't cooking. We'll go out."

"Italian?" I asked with a smile. We had a mutual love for Italian food.

"Absolutely." He agreed.

Right then, Tim opened the door and stuck his head in.

"Boss, Kort wants to know when you're going to reappear."

"Right now," I answered, pulling on my father's arm to get him to move.

Once we got down to the bullpen, I noticed that Ziva was missing.

"Where is Ziva?" I asked Tony, who was sitting at his desk, seemingly deep in thought.

"Oh, she's with Kort. Last I heard, he wanted coffee, so she had to go with him. They should be back soon." He answered, still not fully aware of his surroundings.

"We're back now." Ziva said curtly, appearing behind me.

I was slightly surprised, but when I turned around, I was pleasantly surprised to see that she'd also grabbed me a cup of hot chocolate.

"Wait, nothing for me?" Tony asked forlornly.

Ziva shook her head. I took the hot beverage from her and sighed in delight after my first sip.

"Thank you so much, Ziva, but it wasn't necessary."

"Actually, it was Agent Kort's idea." She said, looking at said man with slight interest.

I smiled gratefully. "Thank you both."

Just then, Dad appeared as he always did, walking quickly.

"We have a lead, Kort. Let's go check it out." He said to Kort as he went behind his desk and grabbed some of his belongings. "DiNozzo, there's a double homicide in Quantico."

"But Boss, we're already working a case." Tony objected.

Dad looked at him sternly. "Now you're working two."


	16. Decisions

**Disclaimer: The only character that I own is my OC Jasmine. **

Chapter Sixteen: Decisions

"So what do you think you'll do?"

I had gone down to Abby's lab after everyone had left. We were currently sitting behind the closed sliding doors at her desk.

I brushed my furiously curly hair over my shoulder and answered, "I don't know. I ask Dad what he thinks I should do, but he never answers me. I understand that he wants me to choose for myself, but at the same time, I want his opinion more than anything."

Abby sighed, and readjusted herself. "It's understandable that you want to make Gibbs proud of you, but ultimately, what you choose to do with your future is your decision. No one can make your decision for you."

"I know. You're right Abby, but I wish this decision was easier."

Abby leaned over and gave me a hug. "Me too, Jaz."

"I'm just afraid," I confessed. "If I decide that I do or even do not want to be become an agent, I'm afraid I'll disappoint my father."

"Aw, kiddo, you have such a hard decision to make. But like I said, it is yours, and yours alone."

"Ugh," I groaned. "This is so hard."

"It isn't like you have to decide now, you know." She pointed out.

I nodded. "I know. But I have only some time left before college is over."

"Tell me what you envision your future to be like." Abby demanded, scooting her desk chair closer.

I straightened up, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. "I see all of you. I see that I'm still with Dad, and that Dad is still working for NCIS." I chuckled. "I see myself with all of you. I see myself here." I said nervously. I opened my eyes. "I see myself helping Marines, paying tribute to my dad and his legacy. I see myself here." I repeated with more confidence.

The forensic scientist smiled. "I think you've pretty much figured it out then."

"But how do I tell my dad?" I wondered.

"How do you tell me what?" Dad walked in through the automatic sliding doors.

"Gibbs! First, how did you hear that? And second, why are you here? I don't have anything!" Abby cried, standing and going over to her computers.

Dad looked taken aback, temporarily forgetting about what I'd said. "Abs, calm down. I wanted to let you both know that Kort and I have found out who issued his kill order."

I jumped out of my seat. "That's great! Where is he?"

"Kort is upstairs." He replied.

"Is there any way to get rid of it?" I inquired.

Dad nodded. "Vance will contact the Director of the CIA and take it from there. But Kort will probably have to leave the CIA."

My mood darkened. "Really? Does he know about this?"

Dad nodded sullenly. "He does."

"This will crush him," I thought. "He loves what he does."

Out loud, I informed my dad that I was going to go talk to him.

"We'll be leaving soon." He responded. "DiNozzo's already closed his first case, and apparently he's in interrogation with the second suspect. I'm just going to let him finish with the case."

I nodded in understanding and went to the elevator, leaving my dad with Abby.

When I entered the bullpen, Trent was nowhere to be found. I decided to check the small corner where the coffee and vending machines were located. It was typically deserted back there because most people went out for coffee, so I thought that there was a good chance he might be there.

Trent was sitting at the small round table, facing the wall and nursing a small Styrofoam cup of coffee. I also noticed a wrapper, but it was partially hidden by his arm, so I couldn't tell what it was.

I came up behind him and gently placed my hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Uncle Trent. Are you okay?"

He looked back at me slowly, and then turned back around. I sat down beside him.

Trent's face was dark, his one eye obscured beneath the patch. His good eye was focused down on his entwined hands.

We sat in silence for a minute before he spoke. "I didn't think my career would end like this."

I looked at him closely. "How did you think it would end?" I asked softly, not sure I truly wanted to hear the answer.

Trent looked directly into my eyes. "In my death. I would rather die than give up the CIA."

I turned away. My mother's and sister's deaths had left me with a permanent fear of being left behind. The fact that I'd been left behind at home the day they died had scarred me deeply.

"I need to go." I stood up quickly and began walking away. Trent called after me and eventually caught up and grabbed my arm.

"Jasmine-." He began, but I swung around quickly and surprised him.

"Let go! I think you need time to really reevaluate your life and its worth. When you do that, come find me." I wrenched my arm away from him and walked away.

Later on, during our ride home, my father asked me if I wanted to talk about what had happened.

I turned my torso to face him. "Please promise me that you'll never leave me."

He looked at me seriously. "I can only promise you that I will never leave you voluntarily."

I nodded, satisfied for now. "So are we going to Giovanni's?"

Dad smiled. "We are."

I smiled back. "I can't wait. There's something I wanted to talk to you about. When we get there, okay?"

My father seemed puzzled for a moment, but nodded.

"Your waitress will be right with you." The hostess said as she handed us our menus.

"So talk to me, Jasmine." He was looking at me expectantly.

I straightened up in my chair, and interlocked my hands.

"Daddy, I've decided what I want to do, and I really want your blessing." I started, looking at him closely. I was trying to gauge his reaction.

"So what is it, Jasmine?"

"Dad, I really want to follow in your footsteps and become an agent for NCIS. Please just hear me out before you get angry. I really want to help Marines like you do. You were a Marine, and I feel like this is my chance to give back to the Corps. I want to carry on your legacy, and even Uncle Mike's." I explained, my eyes tearing up when I mentioned the person who had been another uncle.

Mike Franks had been around as long as I could remember. He would drop in and out, and he often stood up for me when my dad was being overprotective. He was funny and could make anyone like him.

My dad looked at me for a very long time. Finally, he nodded.

"You realize that you will not be on my team, right?" He asked. I nodded. "I just want to make sure you know what you are getting into."

"Will you train me?" I asked him. I wasn't sure if he knew what I was getting at, but I didn't want to ruin our dinner.

"I don't want to teach you to use a gun." He responded. He took a sip of his drink.

"Dad, please consider it. You have excellent marksmanship and you have exceptional knowledge of firearms. If you taught me, you wouldn't have to wonder whether my education was sufficient enough to keep me alive." I knew I was hitting below the belt, but I really wanted him to be the one to teach me to defend myself with a gun.

Dad really looked upset at that. Finally he sighed and nodded. "Okay. Just please promise me that you'll be careful. This line of work is not for everyone."

I nodded, feeling relieved. "Thank you Daddy."

"Let's talk about something else." He suggested, and at that moment, the waitress came back to get our dinner orders.

We talked about little things, and he wanted to know how my college studies were going. We then talked about Callen. My brother was already talking about visiting again, and I had to stop myself from getting too excited because usually a case came up.

During our conversation, my father's phone rang.

"Gibbs." He answered plainly.

I took another forkful of pasta and wasn't paying attention when he tried to pass the phone to me.

"Jasmine, it's for you. Is your phone off?"

I nodded. "Who is it?"

"Kort."

"No. I'm not ready to talk to him. Tell him to call back tomorrow please."

My father gave me a questioning look and then relayed my message to Trent.

After he hung up, Dad turned his attention to me.

"What is going on between you two?" He wanted to know.

I avoided Dad's gaze. "I asked him how he saw his career ending with the CIA. He told me that it was in his death and that he couldn't imagine it any other way. That he would rather die than leave the CIA. What was he thinking Dad? Doesn't he realize that someone cares about him?"

"Princess, this is something you need to realize on your own."

I sighed, expecting this answer.

"If only I knew how to do that."

That night, I was having a really hard time falling asleep, and I knew that it probably had something to do with the stress over the situation with Trent.

I reached over and turned my phone on. There were twenty-six texts, the majority from Trent, but a few from Tony and Callen and then one from both Ziva and Abby. There were also six phone calls, all from Trent.

I first looked at his texts, since those were of the most importance to me at that moment. Several of them were apologies, and then his last few were him begging me to contact him.

I decided to text him and tell him that I'd call him first thing in the morning and that we needed to talk.

As I thought some more, I realized that no one really liked him, and had often told him so. Then I thought about what I knew of his past. He had no family or friends to really speak of.

With that thought, I fell into a fitful sleep.

The next morning, at about 0600, I showered, dressed, and then sat on my bed contemplating.

Then I picked up my phone and hit number "9" on my speed dial.

"Jasmine?" A male voice answered.


	17. Making Amends

**Disclaimer: I only own my OC Jasmine. **

**A/N: Just the epilogue after this chapter! Thank you all for reading and please remember to review!**

Chapter Seventeen: Making Amends

"Hey, Trent." I answered, and I heard his sigh of relief over the line.

"Jasmine, I am so sorry for hurting you like that. I didn't mean to upset you." He said quickly, most likely afraid that I was going to interrupt him.

"I understand, Uncle Trent and I am sorry too. I was too harsh on you." I told him, smoothing my empty palm on my jeans.

I heard a strange sound on the line and thought that something bad had occurred.

"Uncle Trent?" I asked, when I didn't hear him speak.

Then I heard a deep breath. "Jasmine, I…I've never had…anyone, any family…I've never had anyone to come back to. I've never had to…check in…with anyone." He explained.

I also took a deep breath, trying to hold my tears in. I couldn't imagine not having my family. They weren't my biological family, but they were my family all the same. And without my dad…I didn't even want to consider it.

"You have me. I'm here for you. I want you to check in, and talk to me, and come over when you want some homemade spaghetti. You're part of my family, and you need to get used to it." I told him firmly.

Trent swallowed audibly and answered affirmatively.

We spoke for a few more minutes more, and I knew Trent was a little tentative.

After we had hung up, I went into the kitchen, where my father was leaning against the counter nursing a cup of coffee. I greeted him quickly, and then sat down. The room seemed to be spinning.

When my father noticed how unsteady I was, he was immediately at my side.

"Jasmine, what's wrong?" He demanded.

I looked up at him, but my eyes were unfocused and he appeared blurry. "I don't know. I don't feel well."

I stood gingerly, and noticed belatedly that I was swaying.

The last thing I remembered was falling into a pair of strong arms.

"Jasmine, dear, are you okay?" I heard Ducky's voice near my head.

I kept my eyes closed, trying to collect my thoughts. I was lying on something soft- too soft to be a hospital bed.

Someone grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly. Their hand was warm and calloused, which led me to believe it was my dad's.

Finally I opened my eyes. I was on our sofa, and Ducky, my dad, and Ziva was huddled around me.

"Jasmine, how are you feeling, darling?" Ducky asked, laying the back of his hand on my forehead.

"My head is spinning." I commented, feeling disoriented as I tried to sit up.

Ducky stopped me. "Stay there and rest. You need it."

The medical examiner for NCIS turned to my father. "I believe she's just suffering from exhaustion. A day or so of rest and plenty of fluids should be sufficient enough to see her healed in no time." He turned to me then. "And you, Miss Jasmine, should stay put. You need your rest."

I looked up at him silently, and my dad spoke for me. "She will. I'll be here with her for the next two days. Tony will lead the team." He looked to Ziva. "Keep DiNozzo in line, please."

Ziva nodded and smiled at me. "I will call you later, no?"

"Yes, please." I told her.

Ziva made to leave, and Ducky followed her lead, once more reminding me to rest and take it easy.

After they left, my father lifted my legs off the other end of the couch and sat down. He rested my legs on his lap and looked at me.

"What?" I wanted to know.

"You need anything?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm just a little tired."

Daddy nodded and then picked up the remote from where it was wedged in between the sofa cushions.

Soon we were absorbed in an episode of "Castle" and were chatting here and there about cases, school, and my future career.

"Dad, you really don't have to stay with me tomorrow. I'll stay put, I promise." I told him seriously. "In fact, I want to call Callen and inform him about my decision tomorrow."

"That's a good idea, but I'm not going in tomorrow. My decision is final, Jasmine." He said in his firm tone that he only used when he didn't want me to argue.

"Okay then." I responded, letting it go.

"We're having pizza for dinner. Are you up for that?" My father asked.

"Sure." I replied, sliding further down the couch.

My father eyed me and I knew he didn't want me to slouch. So I readjusted myself so that I was lying horizontally on the sofa.

That night, we ate pizza and it was a great excuse for us to spend time together. The next day we had a lazy day on the couch and watched movies together. I learned what my father's favorite movies were and he learned mine. I also called Callen, and though he was hesitant at first, he eventually gave me his blessing.

"I've had a great day." I told him with a smile. I rested my head on his shoulder.

"Me too, sweetheart."

"I love you."

"I love you more. Always."


	18. Fast Track

**A/N: This is the epilogue of this story. It is split into several little moments, like little snapshots. Thank you for reading and reviewing this story. At this time, I don't know whether I will be writing a sequel because I don't have time right now, but I do have some other ideas…;) Hopefully you'll see some of those ideas soon. In the meantime, here's the conclusion of this story. I hope you've enjoyed it.**

**Chapter Eighteen: Fast Track**

**Two years later…**

"You look beautiful."

I turned to him, a smile forming on my face instantly. "Thank you."

He pulled me into his arms. "It's a big day. You're dreams are finally coming true."

"They are," I agreed, feeling truly happy.

"I am so incredibly proud of you. If…if your mother and sister were here, I know they would be as proud of you as I am."

I smiled at him, tears filling in my eyes. "Thank you Daddy. Will you be up there with me?"

He nodded, tucking a loose strand of my bright red hair behind my ear. "Callen will be there too. Tony, Ziva, McGee, Abby, Ducky, Kort, and Leon are here as well. They wanted to stand up there with you, but the stage isn't that large." He chuckled.

Laughing, I straightened his tie nervously. "Is it time?"

Daddy smiled at me, and I knew that it was.

"Congratulations!" Tony shouted, almost tackling me as he took me into his arms and swung me around in a circle.

I laughed and kissed his cheek as he set me down. "Thank you, Tony."

"How does it feel to be a newly christened NCIS Special Agent?" Ducky asked, also hugging me tightly.

"Wonderful," I gushed, feeling a little thirsty. "Let's go home, I'll cook."

"Not gonna happen." Callen spoke up. "We're going to Belladonna's."

It was almost as though I was watching from a distance.

I was sitting alone on the sofa, watching my family laugh and converse happily, and I realized that this was what I wanted. This was what I'd always wanted.

Daddy was talking to Uncle Leo and Ducky, and Callen was chatting with Tony and McGee. Ziva was talking excitedly with Abby, and Uncle Trent was on the floor nearby playing with my dogs, both of whom had grown rapidly out of their puppy stages.

I wished silently that I could stay in this moment forever or even that there was some way to forever capture this moment and these feelings.

This blissful moment was the happiest I'd felt in a long time. I felt positively emotional and grateful to have such an amazing family. They weren't biological, but they were her family all the same. My mother and sister were the only people missing, though I knew they were watching over all of us.

"Jasmine? Is everything okay?" A soft voice asked as he sat beside me.

The cushions sank slightly and I looked over to my companion.

"I'm okay, Timmy. Just thinking about how thankful I am for all of you."

Tim smiled. "We're grateful to have you, Jasmine. You're like another sister to me and I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Aww, Tim," I gushed. "I love you too."

The brunette MIT grad blushed a bright shade of scarlet and smiled.

The doorbell rang and Tony yelled, "Pizza's here!"

I laughed and shook my head. "I can't believe you guys are still hungry after that huge dinner we had at Belladonna's."

"Hey, we're men and we're always hungry." Tony explained.

I just rolled my eyes.

"I don't know if that's going to help your little four pack that you have there, Tony." Ziva replied, smiling mischievously.

Tony just gulped and looked down at his stomach while my father, Uncle Leo, and Callen laughed.

Soon they began to dig into the pizza and I sat and talked with Abby and Ziva on the sofa. Daddy, Callen, and Uncle Leon all went to the basement, while Tony, McGee, and Trent ate some pizza. Ducky had had to leave sometime before, citing his mother as his reason. I understood, and promised that I'd see him soon.

"Where will you be starting out?" Abby wanted to know.

I shifted in my seat and pulled my hair back into a ponytail. "Uncle Leon said that I could begin under him. I'll observe him for a few weeks as he teaches me the administrative duties. Then he said I could shadow Cassie Yates."

Ziva shuddered. "I do not particularly care for that woman."

I winked at her. "You just have to get to know her. She's very friendly- usually."

"Cassie is a good agent and she'll be hard on you in the field, but fair." Abby reminded me.

"I know," I sighed, "I just sort of wish I could work with Daddy. But I know that that won't happen."

My friends shook their heads sympathetically.

"You know what? Us girls should do something to celebrate your becoming an agent! Why don't we have a spa day?" Abby suggested, excitedly bouncing.

"That's a great idea!" I agreed, becoming excited.

Ziva looked dubious. "I do not know…"

"It will be fun! Please Ziva; it wouldn't be the same without you." I pleaded.

The Israeli agent nodded, though she did look unsure. "I will go with you."

Abby and I cheered.

"What is happening here, ladies?" The senior field agent wanted to know.

Abby, Ziva, and I exchanged glances. "Spa day for the ladies of the extraordinary agency known as NCIS!" The forensic scientist exclaimed.

"Another spa day?" Tony asked.

"The last one that we had was with Kate before she…" Abby became quiet.

"Was killed by my brother Ari." Ziva finished. She never shied away from the tough topics.

"That was a long time ago, and we have all moved past it. There is no use in dwelling in the past." I said softly. "We adored Kate, but we love you Ziva, and we are very lucky to have you."

Ziva cleared her throat and nodded.

We all spent the rest of the night playing board games and talking. My father and the others eventually emerged from the basement, and once again, all was right in my world.

"Are you ready to go?" Daddy poked his head into my room and asked.

I fastened my studded diamond earrings into my ears and also clasped my locket around my neck.

"I am." I confirmed, grabbing my messenger-styled bag and throwing it over my shoulder.

"It's your first day at work as an official agent, and I couldn't be more proud of you."

"I love you Dad."

"I love you too. Probie."

**A/N: That's all folks! These flashbacks all take place within a day or so of each other, and in case you didn't get it for some reason, the first flashback is Jasmine's official swearing in as an agent, and the last is Jasmine's first official day at work as an agent. I really do hope you've enjoyed this story. Thank you once again for reading.**


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